Dear Therapists with Lori Gottlieb and Guy Winch Encore: S02 Ep. 15 - Melissa’s Stifled Emotions
Jan 28, 2025
Melissa, a mother, struggles to identify and express her emotions, impacting her relationships with her family. The podcast explores topics such as emotional support for children, personal growth after separation, managing emotional pain in parenting, emotions on the autism spectrum, defining love through actions, expressing validation, and the power of feeling understood.
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Trauma Triggers Freeze Responses
- Trauma can teach the brain to freeze or dissociate when others show strong emotions.
- That automatic defense makes it hard to both feel your own pain and respond to others' distress.
Emotional Awakening After Separation
- Melissa woke up to emotions after a year-long separation and therapy gave her language for feelings.
- She learned emotional words by searching a feelings 'dictionary' and writing to identify what she felt.
Emotional Literacy Is Learned
- Emotional literacy is like learning a new language if you never had parental validation.
- Naming feelings enables you to notice and work with them instead of shutting down.