Chad Stiles

The Reconnection Journey

Health EN ↓ 6 episodes

Trauma doesn't just affect individuals — it moves into relationships. The Space Between Us is a weekly podcast for couples navigating the impact of past trauma on trust, communication, and connection. Hosted by Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT — a retired military service member and licensed marriage and family therapist with 13+ years supporting trauma survivors — each episode delivers honest conversation, practical tools, and real hope. If you've ever felt like you and your partner are in the same room but somehow miles apart, this podcast is for you. Disclaimer: For Educational Purposes Only.

Author

Chad Stiles

Episodes

Ep. 6 "The Partner Who Carries Secondary Trauma" 07.07.2026 31:13

Relationships are deeply affected by trauma, even when both partners love each other and want things to work. This podcast is for couples who feel stuck in painful cycles of distance, reactivity, disconnection, mistrust, or emotional shutdown and who want a more grounded path toward healing. Hosted by Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT, this show explores trauma-informed couples therapy, relationship repair,...

Episode 5: — Triggers, Hijacks & Why Arguments Escalate So Fast 16.06.2026 26:01

You're having a normal conversation, and then something shifts — and within sixty seconds you're somewhere neither of you wanted to be. In Episode 5, Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT explains what's actually happening when arguments in trauma-affected relationships escalate faster than thought: what triggers really are, what happens in the body when the alarm fires, and why both people often end...

Episode 4: Intimacy After Trauma: What Actually Happens, and What Healing Can Look Like 09.06.2026 20:49

Disclaimer/Warning: This episode discusses sexual trauma, sexual violence, and their effects on intimate relationships. Listener discretion is advised. If you are in crisis, please contact the RAINN hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE or text HOME to 741741, or call 988.This is the conversation most couples are having in silence. In Episode 4, Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT talks honestly about what trauma does to...

Episode 3: What Safety Actually Means in a Relationship (And Why Trauma Makes It So Hard to Find) 02.06.2026 20:09

When someone says "I don't feel safe" in their relationship, they're rarely talking about physical danger — and their partner rarely understands what they mean. In Episode 3, Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT unpacks what relational safety actually is: the felt sense that you can be fully yourself without being abandoned, punished, or left alone with it. And why trauma makes that feeling so...

Episode Two: The Pursue-Withdraw Cycle: Why You Keep Having the Same Fight 26.05.2026 15:54

DISCLAIMER: Brief mention of the word "sex" Do you feel like you're always chasing a partner who pulls away — or always retreating from someone who won't stop pushing? In Episode 2, Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT breaks down the pursue-withdraw cycle — one of the most painful and most common patterns in couples affected by trauma. Learn what's really driving it, what both partners ar...

The Reconnection Journey - Healing Trauma, Rebuilding Connection - Episode One - When Trauma Moves In 19.05.2026 11:45

"When Trauma Moves In: How Past Experiences Take Up Space in Your Relationship"Trauma doesn't stay in the past — it moves into your relationship. In Episode 1, Chad Stiles, PhD, LMFT breaks down exactly how past trauma shapes the way couples communicate, fight, trust, and connect. From the freeze response to intimacy challenges to the partner who creates distance when things are going well — Chad...