Therapists React to Gilmore Girls: Mother-in-Laws, Enmeshment, and Money

Whitney brings on Amanda White from Therapy for Women to react to the most requested show from her audience, you guessed it: Gilmore Girls. They break down season one, episode 18 "The Third Lorelai," analyzing the dynamic between four generations of women—Emily, Lorelai, and Rory plus the chaotic arrival of Emily's mother-in-law Trix. Even if you haven’t seen Gilmore Girls or this episode, Whitney and Amanda explore the universal experiences of being controlled by a matriarch, how emotional distance in one generation can create enmeshment in the next which in turn can cause estrangement in the next, and the weaponization of money and gifts in family dynamics.

Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles.

Have a question for Whitney? Send a voice memo or email to whitney@callinghome.co

Amanda’s website: https://therapyforwomencenter.com/therapist/amanda-e-white-lpc/

Therapy for Women IG: https://www.instagram.com/therapyforwomencenter

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04:00 Scene 1: Emily loses control when her mother-in-law visits

07:12 Scene 2: Money as connection and control

23:04 Scene 3: Weaponizing gifts and criticism

440:54 Scene 4: Lorelai’s insecurity

49:21 The dinner table scale

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