Light in the Battle: Autism, Single Motherhood and Trauma Recovery

Staying present isn’t easy when your nervous system is already overloaded. It's easier to dissociate. In this episode, Faustina talks about what “being present” actually means for trauma survivors and neurodivergent single parents, why overwhelm shuts down connection, and how to stay grounded with an autistic child even when your body or your mind want to escape. Practical, realistic tools for sin...

Breaking generational trauma for future generations is hard — especially when you’re parenting a neurodivergent child without a roadmap. It's little things you have to notice, to catch, and to do differently - one day at a time. In this episode, we talk about how childhood trauma shows up in your parenting, why your nervous system reacts before your thoughts do, and how small, imperfect moments of...

How do you handle a meltdown when you're overstimulated already? How do you help your child calm down when you’re not calm yourself? In this episode, Faustina shares small, realistic ways to co-regulate while healing — grounding tips for overstimulation, honest scripts for connection, and a reminder that repair matters more than perfection. This can be particularly difficult for autistic single mo...

When your mind knows you’re safe but your body doesn’t, parenting can feel overwhelming. This episode explains what trauma-triggered overwhelm actually is, and offers practical steps to calm your nervous system in real time — without pretending or forcing it. This can be particularly challenging for single mothers. If you liked this episode, you’ll also enjoy Episode 9: The Court Date You Can’t St...

Custody battles and co-parenting conflict activate the nervous system in a deep, physical way. This episode shares grounded ways to work to break free from anxiety when you can’t stop thinking about a court hearing — without denying the reality of what’s at stake: the money side, the custody, the amount of contact that you'll have to maintain with your ex, how much control each parent has, and you...

Many mothers escape because their nervous system is overwhelmed, not because they lack strength. This episode explores the difference between rest that nourishes us and escape that numbs us — and offers simple, doable ways to create calm in small moments throughout the day. As single mothers dealing with neurodivergence, trauma, and a lot of coparenting conflict, escaping can be the norm. It's jus...

"I'm touched out!" "My kid is always up against me, I need a break!" Parenting spaces talk about this at great length, but no one is talking about being "stimmed out". Parenting an autistic child can be physically and emotionnaly draining. ASD parenting is a whole other level of sensory overload, especially for single, autistic parents carrying trauma. When there's no other parent around to take o...

After abuse, peace can feel wrong. After years of chaos and survival, calm can make your body panic — because silence used to mean danger. In this episode, Faustina explains why calm feels unsafe and how to rebuild your nervous system’s trust in quiet. With simple grounding tools and sensory-aware examples, she shows how “micro-calm” moments can rewire your sense of safety over time. For mothers r...

Healing doesn’t mean life gets quiet. It means you learn how to find stillness inside the noise. In this reflection, Faustina shares how she practices calm in real moments — reading court emails, managing meltdowns, or feeling her body’s old panic rise up. This isn’t about perfection or pretending to be all good. It’s about creating small pauses that remind your nervous system: “We’re safe now.” I...

When you leave what feels like an abusive relationship and become a single parent, healing takes on a new shape. In this quiet reflection, Faustina shares how leaving a relationship that felt violent, manipulative and destructive during pregnancy opened the door to clarity — and how her child’s emotions later became mirrors of her own unhealed pain. This episode explores the real experience of par...

Detachment isn’t easy when your body is still in survival mode. In this reflection, Faustina talks about what it’s really like to learn emotional detachment after trauma — when PTSD and panic make “staying calm” feel impossible amongst the craziness. Through her experience with EMDR and nervous system healing, she shares how true detachment isn’t about going numb, but about helping your body belie...

How do you keep the faith when everything falls apart? How do you keep believing in a good God, when that God allowed all this to happen? When logic fails and the path disappears, faith becomes the thread that holds us together. In this episode of Light in the Battle , Faustina reflects on trusting God when nothing makes sense—learning to surrender control, find calm in motherhood, and believe tha...

Life can feel like a battle—especially for single mothers navigating co-parenting, trauma, or spiritual warfare. In this first reflection from Light in the Battle , Faustina shares gentle words on finding peace, faith, and emotional resilience when chaos surrounds you. A quiet Christian meditation for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, solo parenting through hard seasons, and learning...

If you’re an autistic single mom navigating life after narcissistic abuse… and trying to make sense of high-conflict co-parenting… You’re not alone. There is Light in your Battle. Here we talk about trauma recovery, emotional detachment, and learning how to function in situations that were never meant to be this hard. I take for granted that you're already familiar with the terms and concepts...