Are you sick of the liar in your head saying that there's something wrong with you? Are you trying to silence that inner critic? All too often this prolongs the war. Listen in as we explore finding truth. And peace.

Here's a bit about Andy from his website:

I’m Andy Wallis, I live in Grantham, in the UK and was adopted at just a few months old in 1973.

I have struggled throughout my life with my mental health and this year (2023) I decided to start a blog to explore my inner workings. I soon came to realise that most of what I’ve dealt with has its origins in my adoption. I was shocked.

Adoption trauma manifests itself in lots of ways it would seem. From the obvious emotional stuff like anxiety, depression and closing down emotionally, to the less obvious social quirks like refusing to do something fun because it wasn't the adoptee's idea. Weird as it might seem, I can recall lots of moments in my past where I've just flatly refused an activity or outing for fear of losing the element of sovereignty. 

This often leads to a ‘Brian’ (the negative Nancy in my head) driven anxiety attack. I'd get so worked up before the event that I'd lose it and then panic about the loss of control, which in turn would create its own loss of control. Finally topped off with a nice big dollop of shame to boot. ‘Dollop’ great word that!

From the blog, the book was born and writing has helped me so much. To try and gain a wider picture I studied to gain a qualification in Mental Health, and I’m now also a mental health first aider.

I’m passionate about raising awareness of adoption trauma and mental health generally.

Find out more at:

https://www.instagram.com/whos_wally_blog/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094487566931

https://twitter.com/whosthatwallis

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-wallis-865ab6195/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2m1wAiBmAf4Qt1OvWL1qdo

Here are the links I mention in the show:

https://chrisniebauerphd.com/

https://www.drjilltaylor.com/

https://rupertspira.libsyn.com/episode-41-bernardo-kastrup

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Are there parts of you that you try to push away? I've definitely rejected the part of me that's scared of rejection. Denial, numbing and overriding only brings short term relief. Listen in as adoptee and therapist Joellen shares what she's learned about embracing all of herself so we can embrace all of ourselves.

Here's a bit about Joellen from her website 

I am a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of private practice experience doing individual, couples, family therapy and psychological testing.  I received a doctorate degree from The University of Texas at Austin in Clinical Psychology.  I am also trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, Filial and Child-Focused Play therapies.  My work integrates attachment, psychodynamic, neurobiological and CBT theories.  Finally, I have an extensive background working with all members of the adoption triad. This includes individual therapy, leading groups, legislative advocacy, and public speaking.

https://joellenpeters.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joellenpeters

https://www.instagram.com/joellen.peters/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you wish feeling triggered wasn't so painful? Or that you were triggered less? Listen in as transracial adoptee Carlos shares how he sees triggers differently.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-munez

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

As a wise mentor once said to me, the past is a place of reference not a place of residence. Understanding birth mothers' predicaments is incredibly healing. Listen in as birth mother and therapist Delores shares her journey and profound insights along the way so you can live forward.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Delores-Sullivan-Therapy-100063634445824

https://www.linkedin.com/in/delores-sullivan-4892ab25/

https://www.deloressullivantherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dssullivan1/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Would you like to feel more empowered? Listen in as transracial adoptee Julia shares her insights into empowerment and connection. She also talks about identity and being comfortable in her own skin.

Julia Small is a transracial adoptee from Hunan, China who was raised in Topsfield, Massachusetts. One of her greatest passions is fighting for equity and social justice through grassroots advocacy, public policy and education reform. She has a particular interest in minority affairs and child and elderly welfare. She aspires to bring to light the experiences and challenges faced by adopted patients in the healthcare setting.

https://twitter.com/julialsmall12

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliasmall/

Here's a link to Julia's interview with Elaine and Ramya

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/advocating-for-our-health-with-elaine-schulte-ramya-gruneisen-and-julia-king

Here's the link to the author I mention whose book is about the left and right brains

https://chrisniebauerphd.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How do the emotional rollercoaster of reunion? Dawnie is right in the throes of figuring this out. She shares what she's learning as she goes and her insights on loving herself as well as putting herself first.

https://www.facebook.com/AdoptedWithTheFro

https://www.instagram.com/adoptedwiththefroblog/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Are you looking for answers? Because the truth sets us free right? Roxan  wasn't told that she was adopted until her adoptive mother blurted it out in an arguments when she was 15. Listen in as she shares how she went from anger to curiosity and finally peace. Powerful and empowering.

Connect with Roxan  here:

https://www.facebook.com/roxansherry

Watch my video about the diamond and the truth of who we are here:

https://www.facebook.com/simonjbenn/videos/706029451324458

Find out about Adoptees United here:

https://adopteesunited.org/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoption trauma often manifests in anger or a loud inner critic. Would you like more peace? Listen in as Aubrey shares her learnings and insights on how she's moving towards more peace. 

Aubrey Jackson is a former news anchor turned published travel writer and professional travel planner, specializing in luxury leisure travel.As an entrepreneur and travel professional, Aubrey has served as an on-air expert and in person for panel discussions. When she is not traveling or boldly representing her clients, she is advocating for adopted youth. As an adoptee herself, whose adoption was finalized in the state of Florida, a closed adoption state that does not allow adoptee’s acess to their original birth certificate, she is passionate about aligning herself with programs and causes that directly benefit youth in foster care and further amplify adoptee voices.

In 2021, with the help of private investigative support, Aubrey met her birth family and is thrilled to have the chance, after 10+ years of searching, to build a strong bond with her relatives. Aubrey serves on the board of Adoptees United, an organization led by
adoptees in the United States that represent the interests of all adoptees, whether domestic, intercountry, transracial, or former foster youth.

https://growbeyondwords.com/adoptee-therapist-directory/

https://www.facebook.com/ImAubreyJackson/

https://www.pinterest.com/ImAubreyJackson/

https://www.tiktok.com/@imaubreyjackson

https://www.youtube.com/aubreyonair

https://www.instagram.com/imaubreyjackson

https://imaubreyjackson.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What if what had happened to us happened for us? Adoptee and birth mother Monica shares her healing insights to help us heal and access our higher self. This has to be one of the most powerful and empowering episodes ever to air on this podcast.

Monica was born in Canada, adopted by American parents, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. It was there where she spent the first sixteen years of her life and had many of the foundational experiences that drive her writing. Monica now lives in Northern California and began working on a memoir in Spring 2016 when her daughter urged her to document her extraordinary but painful past.

As she has gained access to buried memories through the process of writing about her experiences, Monica has realized just how self-preserving the human mind can be. She was astonished to discover how much she had willfully forgotten, how much pain she harbored from her early years, and how much guilt she had repressed in her adult life. Digging to the core of her memories as part of the writing process has allowed Monica to begin healing her wounds, forgive both herself and the people who wronged her, and shed the guilt she has lived with for decades. Ultimately, she hopes her writing will inspire others by proving that it’s possible to overcome difficult circumstances and succeed.

https://www.monicahall.com/

https://www.facebook.com/monicahallwrites

https://twitter.com/monicahallpens

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR6bzgbkwIySSxvZS938uHw

https://www.instagram.com/monicahallauthor/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Would you like to handle change better? Life started with a profound change for those of us adopted as infants: a new family. Later - search and reunion can bring about huge changes in beliefs we've held for our lifetime. David and I dive into navigating change when life throws us curve balls.

Here's more about David and his book

BLIND IN ONE EYE

A Story About Seeing the Possibilities

Where was my brother, the one born seven years before me but kept by my birth parents? Was it really possible that, after the lifetime I'd spent wondering about him, he was the guy a friend had just seen on the subway – the one who supposedly looked like my older twin?

Finding my brother would soon feel like a naïve goal. His secretive and frightened parents had far more to hide than I could have imagined, and they had worked hard to maintain the elaborate facade of an ordinary family. Breaching their defenses would trigger events that quickly took control of my life.

Blind in One Eye is the richly detailed story of an adoptee finding, and being absorbed into, a shockingly troubled birth family – a story about abruptly leaving behind life as an only child. But it's also the story of someone with focused and demanding expectations who learns to see other possibilities, to see that the answers he actually gets in life might be more important than the ones he thought he wanted.

The most remarkable discoveries seem to come while looking for something else – as long as you're open to the possibilities

https://www.amazon.com/Blind-One-Eye-Seeing-Possibilities/dp/0982971508

https://blindinoneeye.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrford/

https://twitter.com/blind1eye

https://www.instagram.com/findford/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.