Our Whole Childhood with Patrick Teahan

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, steps away from the teleprompter to share real testimonials from his community about the life-changing impact of good therapy. While discussions around mental health often focus on poor fits or damaging experiences, Patrick highlights what it looks and feels like to find a safe and competent practitioner. He introduces a lighthearted analogy comparing a great...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, is joined by personality psychologist William Todd Schultz to explore the complicated emotional landscape of family estrangement and how early childhood loss intersects with creative expression. Todd specializes in profiles of artists and has published books such as Tiny Terror on Truman Capote, An Emergency in Slow Motion on Diane Arbus, Torment Saint on Elli...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, explores the profound impact of rage as a byproduct of childhood trauma, detailing how unsafe environments force children to either weaponize or absorb intense emotional energy. He introduces the concept of inward and outward rage, moving beyond the stigma of "anger issues" to focus on the underground emotional deposits that develop when a child is e...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, explores the profound impact of growing up in an abusive or neglectful environment, detailing how childhood trauma survivors often struggle with intense self-blame and self-hatred. He introduces the concept of emotional math, moving beyond simple advice to just be kinder to yourself, focusing instead on the deep rooted self-contempt that develops when children...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, explores the profound impact of unsafe home environments, detailing how childhood trauma forces kids to trade their early years for survival. He introduces the concept of the survival exchange, moving beyond simple symptom management to focus on the deep rooted hypervigilance that develops when growing up around chaos, neglect, or emotional abuse. The episode...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, dives into the complex world of intuition and safety: how childhood trauma can break our internal radar and how to tell the difference between a safe person and an unsafe one. He introduces a framework centered on Authenticity , moving beyond simple checklists of red flags to focus on the gut-level ick that signals when a person’s public performance doesn&apos...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, explores a difficult and personal topic: how abusive family dynamics can scale into larger systems, and what happens when legal authority functions like an abusive parent. He introduces a framework he calls the Abusive Parent State , using trauma pattern recognition to connect family systems language to collective trauma. Rather than staying inside the usual h...

In this episode, Patrick, explores why memories of school bullies can still feel visceral years later, even after you have done a lot of healing work. Using a poll with over 2,000 participants, Patrick breaks down the different ways bullying can stick in the nervous system, from occasional intense flashbacks to lingering resentment and revenge fantasies. Rather than treating bullying as a standalo...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, explores the baseline feeling of being “in trouble”, that constant sense that someone is mad at you, you did something wrong, or you are about to be shamed. He breaks down why this internal alarm is so common in childhood trauma and how it can follow people into adulthood through imposter syndrome, anxiety dreams, and chronic hypervigilance. Rather than treati...

In this episode, Patrick shares a personal story about what it can look like when long-held trauma responses begin to loosen after years of recovery work and how flashbacks can shift into quieter moments of recognition instead of distress. Rather than focusing on symptoms alone, Patrick connects the body-level experience of trauma anniversaries, shame attacks, and emotional flashbacks to the famil...

In this episode, Patrick Teahan, MSW, explores nine rarely named but deeply damaging family dynamics that quietly shape childhood trauma and follow people into adulthood. Rather than focusing on symptoms alone, Patrick breaks down the dysfunctional family systems behind them—the unspoken rules, emotional roles, and survival patterns that distort self-worth, boundaries, and relationships. As a foll...

This episode explores how childhood trauma and emotionally unsafe parenting can cause us to lose touch with our original personality, the self we were born with before survival, compliance, and shame took over. Through personal stories and clinical insight, Patrick explains how emotionally immature or abusive parents distort a child’s sense of self by mislabeling innate traits as problems. Poor em...

This episode tells the story of Thomas, a survivor who went no contact with his abusive father after a public meltdown at his wedding, and how the world around him quietly blames him for the relationship he didn’t break.  From well-meaning coworkers saying “all families have stuff,” to relatives insisting “you’ll have to let it go,” Patrick explores why the burden to forgive and reconnect so often...

This episode explores how growing up with a toxic or emotionally unavailable mother can shape a daughter’s sense of worth, identity, and boundaries, and how to finally break free. Rather than focusing on blame, Patrick unpacks the lasting emotional damage that daughters carry into adulthood and the path toward self-trust and emotional independence. Learn why patterns like people-pleasing, guilt, a...

This episode explores how growing up with a narcissistic or emotionally immature parent can distort your perception of yourself, others, and your worth, and how to reclaim it. Instead of fixating on the parent, we look at the damage that lingers and the path to undo it. Learn why triggers around work, relationships, and self-doubt aren’t personality flaws—they're leftover survival responses f...

This episode dives into the ways childhood trauma shows up in daily triggers—and how to break free from them faster. Learn how your past shapes present reactions and discover practical tools to release the emotional charge that keeps you stuck. Topics include: Understanding how triggers connect past and present Four actionable tools for regulating emotional triggers Healing practices for body and...

This episode explores the ways childhood trauma survivors often feel left out in friendships and social situations, and how those early family patterns show up in adult connections. Topics include: Struggling to “jump in” during conversations Starting friendships but pulling away quickly Feeling “too much” or too intense for others How family modeling shapes social shame Inner child work and dialo...

In this episode, Patrick sits down with Dr. Ingrid Clayton to unpack fawning, the often-missed, deeply relational trauma response: why “people-pleasing” isn’t what it seems, how power dynamics shape it, and first steps toward taking up space—without turning into someone you’re not. Order your copy of Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves—and How to Find Our Way Back today! ORDER...

This episode explores in-depth how emotionally immature or abusive mothers impact their sons long into adulthood. Keep an eye out for two more parts of this series! Topics include:  Feeling triggered by other women - imaginary or real Different types of toxic mothers Replicating patterns from our childhood trauma Tips for healing and building healthy relationships Join us for an insightful convers...

Toxic Fathers & The Daughters They Leave Behind  I hope this episode was helpful and or thought provoking for you. Please like, follow or comment w/questions.  For in depth journal prompts, subscribe to my YouTube channel for video versions of these episodes!  Join the Healing Community! Join the Monthly Healing Community Membership

Why Your C-PTSD Isn't Getting Better Topics covered: sense of self, childhood trauma, DSO, CPTSD, PTSD, relationship problems, emotional triggers, psychology, assessment, measurable goals, journal prompts, childhood trauma, trauma response, attachment.  In this episode I go over Disturbances in Self-Organization, a diagnostic criteria set that separates PTSD from C-PTSD. We can fine tune our...

In this episode I cover the mental health personality of a Star Wars character C-3P0. Other Star Wars mental health mentions: K-2S0, gonk droid, Luke Skywalker, Andor, Mon Mothma, Empire Strikes Back, Luthen Rael, Dedra Meero, Syrill, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Palpatine, Han Solo, Narcissism, Covert Narcissist, codependency, Chewbacca, Emperor Palpatine, Princess Leia, Yoda, Boba Fett, Sith, Star Wars f...

Our biggest fear is that we’re failing our children somehow.”  If you’re worried—because most parents are—this video will help you approach that fear with compassion and clarity. In this video, you’ll learn: Real-life “no-one-tells-you” parenting stressors, from biting toddlers to boundary-pushing tweens. How to spot and rethink your personal triggers by tracing them back to your own childhood. Pr...

Anxiety rarely shows up without a backstory. In this video, I’m diving deep into how childhood trauma — especially experiences rooted in neglect and abuse — can shape the anxiety many of us struggle with today.  These issues often get labeled just as anxiety.  We'll explore:  1️⃣ The root causes of anxiety tied to our past  2️⃣ How those early experiences can still affect us in the present I’...

While this episode is directed at parents who are struggling to understand why their children have gone low or no contact, I think many of you—especially those who have lived through painful or invalidating family experiences—may find it deeply resonant.  In it, I speak directly to estranged parents about: Seven of the most common blind spots I’ve seen in 15+ years of working with childhood trauma...