Light in the Battle

Here's what trauma has done to your autistic nervous system. In Season 3 we are "zooming in" the day- to-day reality of living with trauma, while we do the extensive, long term work of healing from narcissistic abuse. We work to understand trauma, and we explore ways to heal the nervous system. In this particular episode, we discuss why autistic brains are particularly prone to trauma after abuse,...

In this episode, we explore:• Why high-conflict co-parenting is uniquely dysregulatingfor autistic women• How ASD nervous systems respond to unpredictability and coparenting conflict• Why your body may feel constantly “on alert” after narcissistic abuse• Hypervigilance, overthinking, fawning, and emotional exhaustion• The impact of high-conflict coparenting on sleep, sensory overwhelm, executive f...

Your nervous system has been trained to stay on high alert. That's what's familiar. And so being calm feels unsafe. Over time, and it's an integral part of PTSD or CPTSD recovery , you can train your nervous system to enjoy those moments of calm. They're actually what will make you more impactful in family court , and they're an integral part of narcissistic abuse recovery . When navigating narcis...

We've been trained to explain ourselves. Either through a toxic abusive relationship, through a lifetime of living with autism and being misunderstood, or by walking the journey of raising a child with autism and/or PDA. It's taking energy away from what matters: your mental health, and your kids. When people are committed to misunderstanding you, consciously or not, share what you have to share a...

In this short episode, we’re talking about something that keeps many survivors stuck: closure. We’re often told we need: an apology accountability understanding a “clean ending” But in high-conflict dynamics — and especially after narcissistic abuse — that closure often never comes. And waiting for it can keep you: emotionally attached mentally replaying the past stuck in a loop of “maybe one day...

How do you get anything done when you're a PDA adult? When everything feels like a demand, from responding to an email from your lawyer to the simple fact your body says it's time to get a sip of water? Just like the ⁠autistic burnout meditation⁠ I created for myself,these are affirmations I recorded for myself and that are having quite the impact on getting stuff done in my life. Stuff that socie...

You don't win in court by being right, nor by feeling strongly about things. You increase your odds of protecting the kids from harm by becoming regulated, consistent, strategic, coachable, and impossible to trigger and bait. This is the Season Finale for Season 2.In the context of legal abuse and post-separation abuse at the hands of a coparent that displays narcissistic patterns of behavior, fam...

Grief After Narcissistic Abuse: Mourning What Was LostGrief is what happens when you stop fighting reality — andfinally allow yourself to feel what it cost you. For a survivor of narcissistic abuse, those lossescan be significant, complex, and often invisible to others. Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle— a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become cl...

Let’s now learn to let go of what we cannot control, so we can fully focus on what we can. For a survivor of narcissistic abuse, this can feel counterintuitive. And yet it’s a crucial step in performing better in family court. Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle— a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally h...

Gratitude is often misunderstood, especially for an autistic survivor of narcissistic abuse. Emotional Detachment as a Tactical Advantage for FamilyCourt — Season 2Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle— a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This season is a journey from the trauma bo...

This is a low-demand reflexion for women in autistic burnout. We’re not going to try and address our stress, tiredness, or overwhelm as there are a lot of resources about this online. We’re also not going to control our breathing or our body. Zero demands over here. We’re going to address the underserved segment of autistic women in burnout, especially autistic single mothers - that deep, full-bod...

Episode — Fellowship & Mentorship in Narcissistic Abuse Recovery — Podcasthon Emotional Detachment as a Tactical Advantage for Family Court — Season 2Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This season is a step-by-step journey from the traum...

I want to do something a little different in this episode. If you’ve been listening to Season 2 from the beginning, you probably already feel that there’s a progression. We didn’t just randomly move from trauma bonds to EMDR to forgiveness to codependency. There’s a reason the season unfolds the way it does. And if you’re newer here — if you found this podcast somewhere in the middle — you might n...

How do you actually break free from codependency? Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This is Part 3 of the Codependency mini-series, within Season 2.If you’re new to this topic, start with: Episode 20 — Codependent traits and behaviors Episo...

Let's continue our deep dive into codependency — why autistic women are particularly vulnerable to codependency, before we think about ways out of codependency. This entire Season is a journey towards emotional detachment, because detaching is essential not only for healing, but for protecting our children and showing up as the stable, credible parent in family court. One of the hardest truths I h...

Let's begin a deep dive into codependency — what it actually is, in preparation for why autistic women are particularly vulnerable to it next week - and why emotional detachment is essential not only for healing, but for protecting our children and showing up as the stable, credible parent in family court. One of the hardest truths I had to learn is that legal advice doesn’t land when emotions are...

Forgiveness is a tactical advantage. Once you're out of an abusive relationship, whether that's with a family member, a toxic work environment, etc, once you've handled your addiction to chaos so you don't go back, and you've found the right therapy for you in case you carry PTSD, next step is to think about Forgiveness. The 6 Items we think about when it comes to forgiveness, in this episode, are...

Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle, a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse — and a spacewhere we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. In this episode, I share the 10 most significant ways EMDR therapy changed my life, from parenting and unmasking my autism, to emotional detachment, femininity, and finally performing better in f...

PTSD and CPTSD are common in survivors of narcissistic abuse and in their recovery. We find ourselves going into fight, flight, freeze or fawn. This is not helpful in parenting, let alone solo parenting with an ASD brain. It's also not helpful during the months leading up to a court hearing, and during the hearing itself. The nervous system has adapted to keep us safe, but once the chronic threat...

This Episode I'm positioning as a transition between my long series about trauma recovery, the nervous system, and the addiction to chaos, and before I start rotating between more varied topics like family court, spiritual warfare, how the dog helps on a daily basis, etc. Maybe it's my autism but I feel the need to explain myself :) Why I'm here, whom I'm speaking to and what I can do for you. I'm...

We now need to bring the cortisol, adrenaline, dopaminelevels back to normal. In this final episode about breaking the addiction to chaos, Faustina goes over 6 steps that worked for her, when she DECIDED to LEARN to enjoy peace. With compassion and understanding, with humour and Catholic faith, with small action steps that are easy to implement, shedescribes what has worked for her to bring the le...

"Why didn't she leave", you ask. "Why does she keep dating the same types of men over and over? When will she learn? "Sounds familiar? Don't we just love that judgment coming from uneducated, well-meaning people who are not familiar with the concept of trauma bonding. Well... It's biology. Childhood trauma and/or narcissistic abuse can create a true addiction in the brain. A trauma bond. This Epis...

"Why does this keep happening to me?" "Why do I keep attracting narcissists?" You choose to stop. With 6 ASD-friendly practical tips that Faustina used repeatedly in her journey of taming peace after years of running on adrenaline and cortisol, we can slowly familiarize ourselves with our new life. Whether that's getting out of domestic violence, healing from narcissistic abuse, or winning a custo...

Through the story of winning a custody battle, despite what felt like years of legal intimidation and harassment, Faustina shows an example of what addiction to chaos looks and feels like. Winning in family court after many years of feeling unseen and misunderstood by a legal system that isn’t trauma-informed, completely stunned her and left her like a deer in the headlights. We discuss the fact t...

After gaslighting, rebuilding your intuition and body signals is the foundation for helping your child feel emotionally safe. In this episode, we talk about what gaslighting is, how to heal from gaslighting, staying honest with your overwhelm, and modeling emotional safety for sensitive or neurodivergent kids. Faustina shares relatable, personal stories and real-life examples of learning to feel t...