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Anne and Alison talk with Nivida Chandra about parentification. She is the author of the viral Aeon piece, Parentification: When parents cast a child into the role of mediator, friend and carer, the wounds are profound. But recovery is possible. We talk about feeling like unemotional sociopaths, breaking out of our urchin shells, and exploring cultural differences between collectivist and individualist societies. Chandra helps us explore the nuance in boundaries and self-love.

Nivida Chandra is a psychologist and researcher, working with adult survivors of childhood emotional neglect. She is the founder of the mental health centre KindSpace and the founder-editor of The Shrinking Couch website, which publishes informational and experiential articles for those affected by mental health concerns. Her doctoral work was on parentification in urban India. She holds a PhD in psychology from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and was a Fulbright scholar to the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. She lives in New Delhi.

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Audio mastering by Josh Collins.
Song "One Cloud is Lonely" by Próxima Parada.
Cover art by Claire Dierksen.