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Understanding the Story Beneath the Stress
Understanding the Story Beneath the Stress
What if your anxiety isn’t random?
What if the worry that keeps circling your mind has a history?
In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, I sit down with Joan K. Peters, author of Untangling: A Memoir of Psychoanalysis, to explore what it means to think psychoanalytically — not as a therapist, but as someone who lived it.
Joan shares how recurring night terrors in her twenties led her into psychoanalysis, where she uncovered buried childhood trauma surrounding her father’s death, emotional abandonment, and generational survival patterns.
This conversation is not about blame.
It’s about curiosity.
It’s about asking:
- What’s underneath this reaction?
- Where did this fear first begin?
- What story am I still living inside?
We talk about:
- Why children internalize silence as rejection
- How generational trauma shows up in adult anxiety
- The difference between behavior correction and root healing
- How fear of abandonment can quietly shape parenting
- Why repair — not perfection — builds secure relationships
- The power of revisiting childhood from an adult lens
Joan’s story reminds us that stress is rarely about the present moment. Often, it’s an echo.
And when we trace the echo back, something untangles.
About Joan
Joan K. Peters earned her Ph.D. in comparative literature from The University of Chicago and is professor emeritus of literature and writing at California State University at Channel Islands. She lives in Ojai with her husband, her dogs, and her chickens.
Learn more at:
UntanglingJoan.com
If This Episode Resonated…
If you notice repeating emotional patterns…
If certain fears feel larger than the moment calls for…
If you sense your body reacting before your mind understands why…
That may be your invitation to gently ask:
What’s underneath this?
And you don’t have to answer it alone.
For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."
View all episodes
By Autumn CarterUnderstanding the Story Beneath the Stress
What if your anxiety isn’t random?
What if the worry that keeps circling your mind has a history?
In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, I sit down with Joan K. Peters, author of Untangling: A Memoir of Psychoanalysis, to explore what it means to think psychoanalytically — not as a therapist, but as someone who lived it.
Joan shares how recurring night terrors in her twenties led her into psychoanalysis, where she uncovered buried childhood trauma surrounding her father’s death, emotional abandonment, and generational survival patterns.
This conversation is not about blame.
It’s about curiosity.
It’s about asking:
- What’s underneath this reaction?
- Where did this fear first begin?
- What story am I still living inside?
We talk about:
- Why children internalize silence as rejection
- How generational trauma shows up in adult anxiety
- The difference between behavior correction and root healing
- How fear of abandonment can quietly shape parenting
- Why repair — not perfection — builds secure relationships
- The power of revisiting childhood from an adult lens
Joan’s story reminds us that stress is rarely about the present moment. Often, it’s an echo.
And when we trace the echo back, something untangles.
About Joan
Joan K. Peters earned her Ph.D. in comparative literature from The University of Chicago and is professor emeritus of literature and writing at California State University at Channel Islands. She lives in Ojai with her husband, her dogs, and her chickens.
Learn more at:
UntanglingJoan.com
If This Episode Resonated…
If you notice repeating emotional patterns…
If certain fears feel larger than the moment calls for…
If you sense your body reacting before your mind understands why…
That may be your invitation to gently ask:
What’s underneath this?
And you don’t have to answer it alone.
For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."