My friend was ready to give up on herself, when she texted me a picture of the bruises on her neck from where her abuser choked her. In having the courage to ask for help, she was able to recognize that her self-hatred was keeping the door open to being abused. In reaching out for support, she gave her wounded and avoidant parts the message that she actually did deserve safety and care. She then found the strength to finally stand up for herself, and put an end to the cycle of violence.

Protecting my right to peace, motherhood, and wellbeing has been a long, difficult journey. In this episode, I’ll explore the path of reclaiming my mental real estate in the face of ongoing harassment, and developing skillful responses to emotional abuse and threats to my belonging. Tune in to find out how to interrupt the cycle of co-dependency and take back your right to have your own experience of being human, without having to become small, compromise yourself, or be a bandaid to another's gaping emotional wounds.

If you’re experiencing emotional abuse, compromising yourself in order to meet the emotional needs of someone else, or if you’re enabling someone else’s depression or mental illness, there are a few manageable things you can do to interrupt the cycle of co-dependency.

Before I blocked communication with my ex-husband, he texted and emailed me multiple times a day blaming me for his unhappiness and anger.

Eight years after our divorce, these messages are still coming, even in response to simple logistical questions like “can you pick up our daughter from school.” His constant harassment and the way he jabs at my abandonment wounds invades my thoughts and keeps me awake at night. His accusations even make me short-tempered with my daughter, which breaks my heart, because all I’ve ever wanted was to be the mom I didn’t get to have.

Get to know yourself and your attachment story. How does your childhood experience of belonging in the world play out in your adult relationships?

This first episode offers preliminary practices for developing a caring and kind relationship with yourself as the foundation for healing attachment wounds. Using simple grounding and resourcing exercises, you’ll be invited to welcome yourself to belong where you already are, and to engage your senses to support regulating your nervous system.

Cynthia also shares some trauma-sensitive mindfulness strategies that support working with intrusive thoughts, reclaiming your mental real estate, and retraining your attention to stay with your own present moment experience.