You're Not Crazy: A Podcast for Cycle Breakers with Toxic Parents

In this episode, I’m talking about why that happens and why “just feel your feelings” isn’t actually helpful for most people who grew up in chaotic or emotionally unpredictable family environments.

When you grow up with a parent who lacks emotional regulation skills, you learn to analyze, anticipate, and problem-solve. Not because something is wrong with you, but because it helped you function in an environment that didn’t feel safe.

In this episode, we’ll get into:

-Why intellectualizing your emotions is a learned survival response

-Why feeling your emotions can feel unsafe or inaccessible

-The role safety plays in being able to process emotions

-Why you might feel stuck even if you want to heal

Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to feel more. It’s about creating enough safety to feel brave enough to feel.

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In this episode, we’re talking about:

Why forgiveness is often misunderstood

Why you don’t need to forgive your parent to heal

How focusing on forgiveness can actually keep you stuck

The difference between forgiveness and healing

Why acceptance is what actually helps you move forward

What “radical acceptance” looks like in real life

Listen to learn more about the fallacy of forgiveness and what it actually takes to heal from growing up within a dysfunctional family system.
Interested in therapy with Torie?
If you’re an adult living in California, Oregon, or Washington and are interested in working together in therapy, you can learn more and schedule a free phone consultation here:

https://toriewikselltherapy.com/schedule
Support the show and get more episodes
Join the private podcast feed for access to bonus episodes, archived episodes, and ad-free versions of all new episodes:

https://www.confidentboundaries.com/youre-not-crazy-podcast
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In this episode, we’re going back to the basics and talking about why things like staying hydrated, eating enough, sleeping, and moving your body matter far more for your mental health than most people realize.

We cover:

• Why cycle breakers often disconnect from their own needs
• How dysfunctional family dynamics train you to ignore your basic needs
• The mental health impact of dehydration, hunger, and exhaustion
• Why boundaries are often required just to take care of yourself
• Simple ways to start prioritizing your basic needs again

Sometimes prioritizing your healing means something as simple as drinking enough water.

Interested in therapy with Torie?
If you’re an adult living in California, Oregon, or Washington and are interested in working together in therapy, you can learn more and schedule a free phone consultation here:

https://toriewikselltherapy.com/schedule
Support the show and get more episodes
Join the private podcast feed for access to bonus episodes, archived episodes, and ad-free versions of all new episodes:

https://www.confidentboundaries.com/youre-not-crazy-podcast
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you spend your childhood being misunderstood, projected onto, or told who you are instead of being seen for who you actually are, it makes sense that you carry that fear of being misunderstood into adulthood.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why adult children of narcissistic parents often overexplain themselves

• What it feels like to grow up being constantly misunderstood

• Why this pattern tends to show up more when you’re overwhelmed or depleted

• What real healing actually looks like when these habits still pop up

Support the podcast + get access to bonus, archived, and ad-free episodes:

Join You’re Not Crazy: The Private Feed to support the growth of the show and get access to bonus episodes, the entire archive, and ad-free new episodes each week! Join here:

https://www.confidentboundaries.com/private

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In this episode, we explore:

Why guilt feels so overwhelming for adult children of emotionally immature and narcissistic parents

How dysfunctional family systems train you to equate guilt with being a bad person

The difference between healthy guilt and manipulative guilt

Why avoiding guilt keeps you stuck in the toxic cycle

How to approach difficult decisions without avoiding or agreeing to things beyond your capacity

Learning to sit with guilt instead of immediately jumping into avoidance or problem-solving mode is a skill that many of us cycle breakers were never taught. Listen to this episode to learn more about building the healthy skills necessary to confidently navigate guilt as a cycle breaker.
Support the podcast + get bonus episodes:

Join You’re Not Crazy: The Private Feed to support the growth of the show and get access to bonus episodes, the entire archive, and ad-free new episodes each week! Join here:

https://www.confidentboundaries.com/private

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.