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  • Grounding for Life: Long-Term Techniques for CPTSD Recovery

    Grounding for Life: Long-Term Techniques for CPTSD Recovery
    2025/06/13
    In this episode, we step into a gentle yet powerful exploration of grounding practices that go beyond quick fixes, weaving stability into daily life so healing can take root for years to come. Gregory shares listener stories, evidence-based insights, and practical rituals that transform sensory moments, rhythms, relationships, and environments into lasting anchors of safety. Whether you are brand-new to grounding or rebuilding after setbacks, you will find compassion, humour, and concrete tools to help your nervous system feel at home in your own body again.

    Key Takeaways
    • Repetition turns tiny sensory cues into deep neural safety pathways
    • Predictable rhythms reduce dissociation and cortisol over time
    • Community “borrows” regulation when self-grounding feels impossible
    • Joyful nostalgia playlists boost dopamine and anchor calm
    • Micro-boundaries with devices create space for nervous-system repair

    What You’ll Discover
    • How barefoot porch moments can retrain the amygdala
    • Ways bilateral movement rewires trauma-altered brain circuits
    • Interoceptive scans that restore trust in bodily signals
    • Simple nature hacks for city apartments and night shifts
    • Strategies for pairing self-grounding with professional therapies

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2022 interoception study
    • Harvard Center on the Developing Child toxic stress brief
    • British Psychological Society CPTSD guidelines
    • Insight Timer meditation app

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week we tackle the sneaky roots of self-doubt and arm you with science-backed tools to meet that inner critic with unwavering kindness.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

    💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—join here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/support
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    19 分
  • CPTSD and Sleep: Establishing a Night Routine That Heals

    CPTSD and Sleep: Establishing a Night Routine That Heals
    2025/06/09
    In this episode, we take a deep, compassionate dive into the art of building a night routine that works for complex trauma. Discover why predictability soothes an over-alert nervous system, how small rituals transform evenings, and what to do when real life is messy, noisy, or just plain hard. Through practical advice, honest listener stories, and research-backed strategies, you’ll learn that healing sleep is possible, and it’s a journey worth taking—no matter where you start. If you’ve ever felt alone or broken in your battle for rest, this conversation will remind you that sleep is your birthright, and building safety is both science and self-love.

    Key Takeaways
    • Gentle night routines calm trauma responses and signal safety to the nervous system
    • Consistent bedtime rituals help the brain associate evenings with rest
    • Simple sensory anchors—light, scent, sound—make sleep routines portable anywhere
    • Compassion and flexibility are more effective than perfection in recovery
    • Sleep is a birthright, not something you have to earn

    What You’ll Discover
    • The science behind cortisol, melatonin, and trauma’s impact on sleep
    • Real-world examples of transforming messy nights into restorative rituals
    • Practical tools like movement, guided imagery, and self-kindness for better sleep
    • Strategies for managing nightmares and handling middle-of-the-night wakeups
    • How to build routines that adapt to unpredictable environments

    Resources Mentioned
    • National Institute of Mental Health – “Routines and Trauma Recovery”
    • Journal of Traumatic Stress – “Imagery Rehearsal Therapy for Nightmares”
    • Insight Timer (app) – Guided Sleep Meditations
    • King’s College London – Research on Sleep Hygiene and Trauma
    • University of North Carolina – “Stretching and Sleep Quality in Trauma Survivors”

    Next Episode Preview
    Next time, I’ll guide you through breathing exercises designed to calm night-time anxiety and help you reclaim restful sleep.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—join here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/support

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    51 分
  • Breath as Rescue: Practical Techniques for Calming Panic Attacks and CPTSD Moments

    Breath as Rescue: Practical Techniques for Calming Panic Attacks and CPTSD Moments
    2025/06/06
    In this episode, we explore how something as ordinary as breathing can become an extraordinary lifeline when panic attacks strike. You’ll sit shoulder-to-shoulder with listeners who turned cramped buses and fluorescent grocery aisles into unexpected sanctuaries, learn why neuroscientists call slow exhalations a “circuit breaker” for fear, and practice rhythms that retrain your body to trust itself again. Whether panic ambushes you at three in the morning or mid-sentence at work, this conversation hands you practical, research-backed techniques you can deploy in sixty seconds or less—no incense required. By the end, you’ll understand how breath, movement, sensation, and gratitude weave together into a portable calm you can carry everywhere.

    Key Takeaways
    • Slow, intentional exhalations trigger the body’s built-in brake system
    • Resonance breathing improves anxiety and attention in eight weeks
    • Micro-breaths plus tactile anchors counter dissociation gently
    • Physiological sighs can halve panic symptoms in sixty seconds
    • Breath-paired gratitude releases oxytocin, lowering stress hormones

    What You’ll Discover
    • How counting breath beats rewires panic-loop pathways
    • Tactics for discreet breath work in public spaces
    • The science behind breath, vagus nerve, and heart-rate variability
    • Methods to pair grounding senses with respiratory rhythm
    • Ways breath practice enhances communication and boundaries

    Resources Mentioned
    • Huberman A. “Master Stress” (podcast episode)
    • McKeown P. The Breathing Cure (book)
    • Insight Timer app – free guided breathing tracks
    • ADAA online peer-support groups for anxiety
    • University of Pennsylvania progressive muscle-relaxation study

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week we’ll dive into breathing through tough conversations, crafting words that land softly instead of sparking conflict. Tune in to learn scripts, boundary tips, and more lung-powered calm.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

    💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/support
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    17 分
  • Healing Together: The Transformative Power of Social Connection

    Healing Together: The Transformative Power of Social Connection
    2025/06/02
    In this episode, Gregory explores the vital role of social connection and support in healing from CPTSD. You’ll hear compassionate stories about how even the smallest interactions—like a smile from a stranger, the comfort of a pet, or joining a group online—can be transformative. Gregory shares the neuroscience behind why relationships matter, practical tools for building safe connections, and the importance of honoring grief for the community you didn’t have. This episode is a warm, honest invitation to rediscover trust, set boundaries, and let yourself belong, even if you’re starting from scratch.

    Key Takeaways
    • Small, safe connections can rewire your brain for trust
    • Co-regulation calms the nervous system and supports healing
    • Vulnerability grows in tiny steps and is always your choice
    • Grieving missed connection is a vital part of recovery
    • Supportive relationships help break cycles of isolation

    What You’ll Discover
    • The science behind why connection soothes trauma responses
    • Gentle strategies for practicing connection at your pace
    • The importance of boundaries in building trust
    • How chosen family and pets can support healing
    • Practical ways to risk connection, even if it feels scary

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Polyvagal Theory in Therapy” by Deb Dana
    • “Attached” by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
    • “Trauma and Recovery” by Judith Herman
    • CPTSD Foundation Online Support Groups

    Next Episode Preview
    Next time, Gregory will guide you through handling emotional numbness and gently awakening feeling, with tools for reconnecting when you feel shut down.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.



    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/support.
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    44 分
  • How Mindfulness Rewires a Traumatized Brain: Real-Life Tools for CPTSD Healing

    How Mindfulness Rewires a Traumatized Brain: Real-Life Tools for CPTSD Healing
    2025/05/30
    In this episode, Gregory brings a radically honest and gently encouraging exploration of mindfulness for managing CPTSD symptoms—tailored for those whose “present moment” feels anything but safe. You’ll hear why mindfulness is so hard for trauma survivors, how tiny moments of awareness (even during chaos or numbness) can help rewire the brain, and why there’s no one right way to practice. Through heartfelt listener stories and Gregory’s lived wisdom, discover how to use everyday moments—touch, sound, breath, and even washing your hands—as mindful anchors when traditional meditation feels impossible. You’ll come away with practical tools, compassionate permission to go slow, and new hope that healing starts with the smallest, kindest attention you offer yourself, no matter how messy life feels.

    Key Takeaways
    • Mindfulness is about noticing, not fixing, your real experience
    • Moments of gentle awareness can soothe anxiety and flashbacks
    • You can use daily routines as mindfulness practice, not just meditation
    • Self-compassion and boundaries are essential parts of mindful healing
    • Mindfulness supports real changes in the brain and body after trauma

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why the present feels unsafe with CPTSD, and how to start small
    • Creative ways to use senses and daily life for grounding
    • How mindfulness builds self-kindness and breaks cycles of shame
    • Trauma-informed resources for when you feel stuck or overwhelmed
    • Real stories from listeners practicing mindfulness in messy, imperfect ways

    Resources Mentioned
    • “Wherever You Go, There You Are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn
    • Tara Brach’s guided meditations (podcast/website)
    • Insight Timer app
    • Calm app
    • Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness by David Treleaven

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week, Gregory shares gentle, practical tools for overcoming nightmares and building a safe bedtime ritual that works with a trauma-affected nervous system.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

    💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here
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    19 分
  • Nourish to Heal: Rebuilding Your Relationship with Food After Trauma

    Nourish to Heal: Rebuilding Your Relationship with Food After Trauma
    2025/05/26
    In this episode, Gregory gently unpacks the hidden, powerful connection between nutrition and trauma healing. You’ll hear how food habits get tangled up with survival, why cravings and digestive chaos are normal after CPTSD, and how shame-free nourishment can become a daily act of self-respect. With real stories from listeners, brain science explained simply, and deeply practical tools, Gregory explores how to build rituals of safety and pleasure around eating—even when food feels like the enemy. You’ll learn how to spot survival patterns, turn meals into moments of comfort, and slowly reclaim both trust and joy with every bite. Whether you’re stuck in old cycles, afraid to feel hunger, or longing for food to just be “food” again, this episode offers validation and hope for every stage of the journey. If you’re looking for gentle nutrition advice that meets you where you are—without diet culture, shame, or perfectionism—this is for you.

    Key Takeaways
    • Trauma disrupts hunger, cravings, and digestion in real, physical ways
    • Emotional and binge eating are survival strategies, not personal failures
    • Sensory rituals and food pleasure help retrain a hypervigilant nervous system
    • Self-compassion after setbacks is more powerful than any food rule
    • Trust and healing with food grow through curiosity and daily, gentle practice

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why trauma changes appetite, digestion, and cravings
    • How shame-free nourishment can support emotional recovery
    • Practical rituals to make eating feel safer and more joyful
    • Ways to manage setbacks, triggers, and old survival patterns
    • How to slowly rebuild agency, pleasure, and hope at the table

    Resources Mentioned
    • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
    • Nourish: How Trauma Informs Our Relationship with Food – Psychology Today
    • Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch
    • Trauma and the Gut-Brain Connection – Harvard Health
    • National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED) – ncfed.com

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week, Gregory explores meditation practices that actually work for trauma survivors—even if you find sitting still impossible.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

    💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛
    Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here
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    58 分
  • Morning Routine for CPTSD Relief: Simple Daily Practices to Calm Your Nervous System & Kick-Start Healing

    Morning Routine for CPTSD Relief: Simple Daily Practices to Calm Your Nervous System & Kick-Start Healing
    2025/05/25
    In this episode, mornings shift from frantic autopilot to gentle launchpads for healing as Gregory shares trauma-smart tweaks that calm the nervous system before the day even begins. Through relatable stories, bite-size neuroscience, and a dash of humour, you’ll learn why the first ten minutes after waking can spark self-compassion, steady your mood, and rebuild trust in yourself—without adding another perfection-driven checklist to your plate. Whether you’ve tried sunrise yoga and felt worse or you’re still hitting snooze until noon, this conversation reframes “morning routine” as an act of nervous-system first aid. Expect micro-practices you can tailor to any schedule, science that explains why they work, and permission to start exactly where you are—bedhead, mismatched socks, and all.

    Key Takeaways
    • Tiny rituals reduce cortisol spikes and build agency
    • Self-compassion phrases activate the brain’s soothing circuitry
    • Bilateral movement calms hypervigilance in under two minutes
    • Protein-rich breakfasts support mood-stabilising neurotransmitters
    • Progress beats perfection when healing morning dread

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why survival brains resist rigid 5 a.m. checklists
    • How to craft a five-minute “sacred zone” even in chaos
    • The 3-anchor journaling hack for runaway thoughts
    • Ways to weave medication and therapy into gentle rituals
    • Science behind “future flash” optimism training

    Resources Mentioned
    • Hanson, R. Hardwiring Happiness (book)
    • van der Kolk, B. The Body Keeps the Score (book)
    • Insight Timer (meditation app)
    • Frontiers in Psychology 2023 meta-analysis on morning agency
    • Brown & Gerbarg, “Resonant Breathing” Journal of Alternative Medicine

    Next Episode Preview
    Next Friday, Gregory will explore practical ways to build trust in yourself and others, turning tiny “trust reps” into stronger, safer relationships.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/support.
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    23 分
  • CPTSD Recovery: Why Real Progress Isn’t Linear (and How to Trust the Process)

    CPTSD Recovery: Why Real Progress Isn’t Linear (and How to Trust the Process)
    2025/05/24
    In this episode, Gregory brings warmth and honesty to a topic every trauma survivor faces: why recovery from CPTSD never follows a straight line. You’ll hear real stories and research that reveal the hidden wisdom of setbacks, the subtle signs of true progress, and the daily courage it takes to keep showing up, even when it feels like you’re circling back. Expect validating, practical guidance for weathering the tough days and celebrating the small wins—because every act of self-kindness is a step forward, even when it doesn’t look like it.

    Key Takeaways
    • Setbacks are a normal part of CPTSD recovery and don’t erase progress
    • Non-linear healing teaches us to meet old pain with new tools and compassion
    • Tracking small victories helps reveal real growth, even when progress feels invisible
    • Gentleness with yourself is more powerful than perfection or pushing through
    • Community support is essential for navigating the ups and downs of healing

    What You’ll Discover
    • How to recognize non-linear patterns and hidden signs of progress
    • The science of neuroplasticity and how trauma recovery rewires your brain
    • Practical tools for handling setbacks, spirals, and emotional flashbacks
    • Why celebrating tiny wins matters for long-term healing
    • Ways to build resilience and hope during tough times

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving” by Pete Walker
    • “Self-Compassion” by Kristin Neff
    • National Center for PTSD (www.ptsd.va.gov)

    Next Episode Preview
    Next time, we’ll dive into strategies for staying grounded and connected during tough conversations, with tools for navigating triggers and protecting your peace.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

    💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛
    Help keep these vital conversations alive—join here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/support
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    41 分