In this episode, I explore the stories we tell to survive. How they can help AND hinder us in toxic relationships.

From childhood fairytales to the quiet narratives we build around abuse, stories are how we make sense of chaos. They soften what’s unbearable. They protect us when we’re small and have no control. But sometimes, the very stories that once kept us alive become the ones that keep us stuck.

Through personal reflection and therapy-informed insight, I look at how survival narratives can form, how they shape adult relationships, and how they can quietly reinforce cycles of mistreatment. This episode isn’t about shame. It’s about awareness. Because healing doesn’t require destroying the stories that saved us. It requires gently rewriting them.

Reflection prompt at the end.

In this episode, I explore why discovering that the person you've been with for years has been hiding their true selves the entire time feels violating on a soul-level. This is true of narcissists or any type of manipulative or antagonistic personalities.Thank you to Clare Auden for the IG reel mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/claire_auden_/

Using AI in creating content for the trauma/abuse recovery space - practical and smart, or detrimental? In this episode, I explain why I find the over-use of AI in this space problematic.

The Bottom Line

No abuse victim stays simply because they want to. No abuse victim deserves what happens to them simply because they stay. No two abusive relationships are exactly the same, and exit strategies should be carefully planned for each individual situation.

Victims stay because:

They’re conditioned to.

Survival demands it.

They still have hope.

They are doing the best they can with the tools/resources/support they have.

Today's episode of the Irreverent Healing Podcast is a personal story that highlights many little patterns of abuse that are not physical or overt. TWs are present at the beginning of the episode because this one is a little heavy - but important.

Find More: https://substack.irreverenthealing.com

Overfunctioning is a term we hear thrown around a lot in regard to relationships, but are we clear on what it actually means to be overfunctioning? And, more importantly, what it looks/feels like to do it and why we do it at all" These are the questions I tackle in today's episode of The Irreverent Healing Podcast.Find More: https://irreverenthealing.substack.com/

The first official episode of the Irreverent Healing Podcast!Who I am, what this podcast is for, and why I chose the name Irreverent Healing.

How abusers study you yo learn the exact formula for controlling and mistreating you.