Trigger warnings: suicide, child abuse, molestation, kidnapping, and extreme neglect.

Episode 11 of Traumatically Speaking is not for the faint of heart, because this week our Chaos Cousins came in swinging with stories that prove family dysfunction can escalate from messy to criminal real fast. In this episode we share Debbie’s unbelievable story of being locked in a chicken coop as a child, kidnapped during a supervised visit, and witnessing her father get run over during the escape—because apparently some parents hear “custody dispute” and think the appropriate response is vehicular assault. We also hear from Angie, who recounts the moment her entire family imploded when the truth about her predator grandfather finally surfaced, resulting in a drunken uncle chasing him around a dining room table like the world’s darkest episode of tag. Kimberly shares the devastating reality of growing up as the child responsible for repeatedly saving a suicidal parent, carrying a weight no kid should ever have to hold. And finally, one Chaos Cousin walks us through a lifetime of narcissistic abuse so absurd it includes being dog-leashed to a bed, almost being given away as a live-in house cleaner, and later discovering that surviving it all somehow prepared her perfectly for managing an ER.

It’s dark, it’s heavy, and it’s another reminder that sometimes the most dangerous place a kid can grow up isn’t a bad neighborhood—it’s inside their own family tree. As always, we laugh where we can, rage where we need to, and hold space for the Chaos Cousins who survived things they never should have had to.

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We are not here to heal you, just to keep you company between sessions.

okay love you bye,

Sloan & Lex