Prey VS Predator

Welcome back to episode 2 on our analysis of the Amazon show Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. In this video we explore episodes 3 and 4 of the Duggar doc. We dig in to the outright manipulation and lack of responsibility shown by the Duggar parents, as well as the larger issues of systemic abuse enabled and perpetuated by the religious institution. We also explore the culture of victim-b...

Welcome to the first in our series on the Amazon show Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. We're beginning a really special series here on Prey vs Predator!  After watching the documentary "Shiny Happy People", we knew we had to cover the fascinating and terrifying dynamics uncovered by this series.   And, so, we begin a series of enlightening discussions about the controversia...

Mindfulness. Believe it or not, this is a powerful tool for anyone seeking greater emotional resilience and healing. In this episode of the Prey VS Predator podcast as we explore a powerful tool for recovering prey: mindfulness.  Our returning guest, Sophia, shares her story of overcoming emotional trauma and rebuilding her life using mindfulness strategies, rooted in experience and academic studi...

Did you know that establishing healthy boundaries can protect you from emotional abuse?  Welcome back to Prey VS Predator, and part 2 of our series on boundaries!   In this episode of our podcast, we dive into the importance of maintaining healthy boundaries in relationships, and how this can be an essential tool for prey to protect themselves from abuse. We explore predatory tactics like 'hoo...

Did you know that establishing healthy boundaries can protect you from emotional abuse?  In this episode of Prey VS Predator, we do a deep dive into the importance of setting healthy personal boundaries as a safeguard against predators.  Parental and societal influences mould our perception of boundaries for good and ill.  Among other things, we explore the difference between real boundaries and p...

Confronting a narcissist: Sophia's courageous journey of escaping and healing from narcissistic abuse (PT3). In this episode of Prey VS Predator, we conclude our series with our guest Sophia.  As we wrap up the conversation, Sophia shares the difficulty of confronting her community about her abusive husband's behaviour and the loss of many friends that followed this disclosure. Throughout...

Welcome back Sophia! In this episode of Prey VS Predator, we continue to explore Sophia's harrowing journey of abuse. Sophia shares her experiences of spousal abuse and how the simplistic messaging she received from her religious community, messaging about unconditional love and self-sacrifice in marriage, perpetuated the cycles of abuse. In this conversation, we do a deep dive with Sophia int...

Lies, Narcissism and Religious Control... brace yourself, this is a wild episode. Meet Sophia, a long-time friend and listener of the show, and this is her story. In this multi-part conversation, our guest Sophia shares her experience of religious manipulation and narcissistic psychological abuse in her marriage. She does a beautiful job of shedding light on the deceptive tactics used by her spous...

Welcome back! In this episode of Prey VS Predator, we dive even deeper with our special guest Carla Shohet, a trauma recovery expert, discussing self-regulation, the vagus nerve, and overcoming trauma. Carla shares practical tips for healing, cultivating courage, and opening ourselves up to vulnerability. Discover the power of breath-work and mindfulness for self-regulation and gain insights into...

Was your partner a narcissist? Is your child showing similar behaviours? You might not know it, but this is called 'generational trauma', and you can be the force for good to stop that pattern from continuing. In this truly incredible episode, we continue our series with Carla Shohet, a trauma and narcissistic abuse psychologist from the U.K. In this raw and revealing conversation, Carla s...

What is Trauma? What are the signs that someone has been traumatized? What are common coping mechanisms seen in trauma victims and how can people find a path towards healing? Today is our second conversation with Carla Shohet, a trauma and narcissistic abuse recovery psychologist in the U.K. In this episode, Carla discusses the central issue in trauma recovery: the mind/body connection. This, acco...

What is Trauma? What are the markers of someone who has been traumatized? What are common coping mechanisms seen in trauma victims and how can people find a path towards healing? Today we speak with the truly incredible Carla Shohet, a trauma and narcissistic abuse recovery psychologist in the U.K. In this episode, Carla shares her amazing story, what compelled her to study trauma, common symptoms...

Darrell, a man, was the victim of domestic abuse, trapped in an abusive marriage, witnessing the abuse of his children. Now, in the aftermath of his divorce, Darrel struggles under the confusion and disorientation himself, even as he finds a new lease on life. Darrel's story proves that the predator and prey roles aren’t strictly gendered. Men can be prey and women can be predators. In fact, g...

What is ‘walking on eggshells’? What does it look and feel like? Are you experiencing this and, if so, what can you do about it? In this episode we discuss the experience of walking on eggshells - the feelings of uncertainty and fear victims feel when they are held unfairly responsibility for their predator’s reactions. We hope this gives you some things to start thinking about and we hope you wil...

Domestic abuse isn't always physical. A partner can be abusive in all sorts of other ways, no the least of which is manipulation and infidelity. This is Jill's story of intimate partner abuse. Jill's story is heartbreaking. Throughout her first marriage, her husband slowly showed himself to be a predator. But his abusive behaviour didn't start after they got married. According to J...

How can you support children who have a predator parent? This is a loaded question. Especially when you are already trying to distance yourself from your predator, setting up your own boundaries for self-care, how can you help your kids process and navigate their relationship with the predator when, quite often, it's not possible to cut ties completely? In this episode, we explore what a paren...

Welcome back Parker! Parker is the son of an abusive mother, and his story is incredibly hard to listen to. The abuse he and his family experienced is heartbreaking and it was an incredible honour to hear him tell his story. In our discussion Parker shares his experiences of abuse and how he now tries to minimize the impact of his predator parent on his life. We also discuss ways in which kids in...

My Mother The PREDATOR: Unpacking Psychological Abuse & Childhood Trauma. (Parker's Story) For this episode we are excited to introduce you to Parker, the son of an abusive mother. Parker's story is unbelievably hard to listen to. The psychological abuse he experienced is heartbreaking and it was an incredible honor to hear his story. In this discussion Parker shares his experiences of...

Gaslighting can be devastating.   For anyone who hasn't encountered this before, gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation designed to leave victims confused, doubting their own reality and questioning their sanity.  In this episode, we dive into the insidious nature of gaslighting and how predators use this tactic to manipulate their prey. We also share some practical tips for...

Traumatized Children, domestic abuse and the impact of Coercive Control.  How do we respond to children who have witnessed and experienced domestic abuse at house?  How does it impact their brain?  How should we, as parents and trauma victims ourselves, raise them to be as resilient and healthy as possible? For this episode we are excited to welcome back Dr. Christine Cocchiola! &nb...

What is Coercive Control?  How does it relate to psychological abuse?  How can we put a language to trauma? For this episode, we are really excited to welcome Dr. Christine Cocchiola.  Dr. Cocchiola is a licensed clinical social worker, college professor and all-around advocate for victims of intimate partner abuse.  As a survivor of spousal abuse, Dr. Cocchiola works to educat...

Amber experienced parental abuse. Her predator was her parent, her mother, and now, as an adult, she struggles with the reality of her trauma.     Amber is one of our three courageous hosts.  Besides being a performer, artist and coach, Amber’s story and perspective is unique because her predator and emotional abuser is a parent.  Amber’s story undermines any notion that w...

We hear a lot about love bombing these days, but what exactly is it?  How is it different from expressions of love or romantic infatuation? Why is love bombing so dangerous, even while it feels so good? In this episode we explore the concept of love bombing and, drawing from personal experiences, explore how this is actually a tool that predators use to trap prey in toxic relationships. Does...

Emotional abuse can look totally different from physical abuse - for one thing, we don't often see the physical signs, like bruises, that prey can point to as evidence of abuse.   It's also quite common for prey in these relationships to justify their predator in all sorts of ways, excusing their behaviors and accepting the narrative they’re they're spinning: YOU’RE the problem. YOU’RE being...

Should you forgive your abuser?  In this episode we discuss Danya Ruttenberg's boo 'On Repentance and Repair', and the difference between repentance, forgiveness and navigating the path to healing.   If you've experienced psychological abuse you'll understand that forgiving your abuser - your PREDATOR - is not straight forward... or even the right thing to do!  How on earth can you...