Ronni and Jennie: Conversations on Recovery from Childhood Trauma and Abuse

Send us Fan Mail Conscious connected breathing can help you access physical pain and emotions (especially around trauma) that have been trapped in your body. In this episode, Ronni and Jennie share their experiences with this powerful healing modality. Use this link to find a certified breathwork practitioner near you:   https://breathworkalliance.com/certified-practitioners/  Ronni and Jennie are...

Send us Fan Mail Spending your childhood in fight-or-flight mode increases the cortisol levels in your body, which can have a negative impact on your health for the rest of your life. Ronni and Jennie discuss what to look for, what they have experienced, and how they have found healing.  Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse,...

Send us Fan Mail No one likes to watch the people they care about struggle. But if you are recovering from childhood trauma, there can be additional (often tricky) dynamics to negotiate when you want to try to help. Ronni and Jennie talk about how they negotiate these dynamics in their own lives. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addictio...

Send us Fan Mail No one chooses to be abused, and experiencing trauma changes your life forever. But there can be silver linings—even blessings—in walking a path of recovery. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which generated dysfunctional dynamics that often pitted them against each other. M...

Send us Fan Mail Things don’t always go according to plan; sometimes the world is inviting you to embrace a different option, or path. Ronni and Jennie talk about how to recognize these opportunities and take advantage of them. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which generated dysfunctional...

Send us Fan Mail It is so easy to get caught up in the pressure to do more—living in a whirlwind of activity that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, even when you know you need a break or some down time. In this episode, Ronni and Jennie explore the strategies they use to find balance between doing what is necessary in life and making time to simply “be.” Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not...

Send us Fan Mail Anyone healing from trauma has experienced being “triggered”—often by things that seem harmless or minor to other people. Ronni and Jennie talk about some of the things that still trigger them, and how they summon compassion for themselves as they continue to unwind those patterns. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addict...

Send us Fan Mail Many who are healing from childhood trauma have vowed to break the intergenerational cycle that has been the source of their pain—they are committed to shedding the associated baggage, and making lives better for their children. But breaking the cycle is a complex process, and takes longer than most people think. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. Th...

Send us Fan Mail For many, this is a difficult question. But being in touch with your needs is crucial to living a healthy, balanced life. And for trauma survivors, who have been conditioned to ignore their needs or put them last, asking (and answering) this question is an act of rebellion!  Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, ab...

Send us Fan Mail Why is it so hard to ask for more, even when you know you really deserve it? Ronni and Jennie share their own struggles with asking for more, how they have come to learn what they are worth, and how they get it. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which generated dysfunctional...

Send us Fan Mail When we find healing, it’s natural to want to bring those we love with us on our journey. But not everyone is ready to examine themselves (and their lives) in the way that healing requires. Ronni and Jennie talk about how they have managed their relationships with those they had to leave behind on their healing journey. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be frie...

Send us Fan Mail Sibling abuse is the least understood (and most common) form of family violence—and a source of trauma for many people. Because sibling rivalry is considered “normal,” it is important to be able to tell the difference between appropriate sibling behavior and sibling abuse. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abus...

Send us Fan Mail Abusive relationships are (sadly) quite common, but identifying the warning signs early makes it much easier to leave. Ronni and Jennie share what to look for to keep yourself (and those you love) safe. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which generated dysfunctional dynamics...

Send us Fan Mail Those recovering from childhood trauma, who don’t have a nurturing mother (or who have had to break contact with their mothers), are often told that they can simply “mother themselves.” But it doesn’t always feel that simple. In this episode Ronni and Jennie discuss how they have attempted to “mother” themselves, and how they have found other mother figures to nurture them on thei...

Send us Fan Mail If you grew up with addiction, abuse, or other forms of trauma in your home, you likely struggle with feelings of worthlessness. Ronni and Jennie unpack how these feelings are generated, and share how they manage/move through them. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which gen...

Send us Fan Mail We all go through periods in our lives where we feel like we're not where we want to be, or aren't able to move forward the way we'd like. In the premier episode of Season Five, Ronni and Jennie talk about how they approach these periods, as well as practices/techniques that they use for moving through them. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be f...

Send us Fan Mail As Ronni and Jennie gather with their families for their yearly summer reunion, they consider what it means to "live authentically" when you've grown up being pigeon-holed into roles like "the hero" and "the scapegoat." They share how they try to discern what is "true" about/for them, and how they move through the world in that knowledg...

Send us Fan Mail Some in the healing/recovery committee think that you have to “heal yourself” or “learn to love yourself” first, before you are able to build a healthy love relationship. Ronni and Jennie strongly disagree! They share about finding their life partners at an early age, while they were still in denial about the abuse they had endured in their childhood home, and how they managed to...

Send us Fan Mail There is sometimes a great deal of shaming in recovery communities, urging people to "forgive" someone who has abused them, saying that you have to forgive your abuser to heal. Forgiveness is often a long process, that can take people through a range of emotions. Ronni and Jennie talk about all that can go into choosing whether to forgive someone who has abused you.  Ron...

Send us Fan Mail Recovery takes consistent work, and when you’re doing it, it can be hard to tell if your effort is paying off. Then, all of a sudden, you start to see positive changes. Ronni and Jennie share stories and insights about moments along the way when they noticed the healing effects of their recovery efforts. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew u...

Send us Fan Mail We all have gifts to share with this world. Experiencing trauma or abuse in childhood can leave us feeling like what we have to offer is worthless—or at least, less valuable than what other people can contribute. Part of the healing process is embracing who we are, in each moment, shining our Light as best we can...remembering that we are enough, and the world needs us. Ronni and...

Send us Fan Mail The language used in healing communities can sometimes seem confusing or contradictory. If we are all “beings of Light,” what is “the shadow self?” Are we all really “doing the best we can,” even those who commit “evil” acts? Ronni and Jennie reflect on, and try to unpack, some of these commonly used phrases. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They g...

Send us Fan Mail Easier said than done! But this week, Ronni and Jennie talk about situations that trigger defensiveness, and the strategies they use to manage their emotions and come back to a place of peace.   Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which generated dysfunctional dynamics that of...

Send us Fan Mail Ronni and Jennie talk about what the word “recovery” means to them, in the context of healing from childhood trauma, and what their recovery journey has felt like. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to be friends. They grew up in a home with addiction, abuse, and untreated mental illness, which generated dysfunctional dynamics that often pitted them against each ot...

Send us Fan Mail Body shaming is rampant in American culture; the “body positivity” movement has done much to challenge this and help people feel good about themselves and their bodies. But Sonya invites us to dig deeper on the quest for “radical self-love.” Ronni and Jennie talk about how her book has affected them and their healing process. Ronni and Jennie are sisters who were not supposed to b...