The Toxicity Survival Guide

Meditating and staying busy might have a role to play in the healing journey, but in general they aren't the end all be all solution that some folks make them out to be. In this episode, I pull on my background in Buddhist philosophy and my lived experience as a survivor to do a bit of a reality check on these methods.  Instagram: www.instagram.com/empowermentthroughthought Facebook: www.face...

You hear all over the internet that you need to go no-contact the second you realize you are dealing with a toxic person. But that just isn't realistic. In this episode, I cover four indications that you may be ready to start exploring going no-contact.  Download the Quiz: Are You Ready To Seriously Explore If No-Contact Is For You? www.empowermentthroughthought.com/Quiz

Are there any circumstances where the potential harm to us would be justified? I cover three conditions that might make it appropriate for you to have a meeting with a toxic person. There are a lot of variables to sort out to determine whether this is the right sort of move for you.  Hop on a complementary zoom call here: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=23235526&a...

Its pretty common for toxic people to use body shaming as a tool to exert control over us. In this episode, I explore how the norms of diet culture actually help toxic people cause us harm and the challenge this creates for us survivors on our healing journey. 

I asked over on my IG if folks had a general roadmap of what the journey looks like for survivors of toxic people. Today I share with you my first thoughts on what that journey looks like. Turns out its 7 steps and if you think I missed anything or have any feedback shoot me an email dr.louise@empowermentthroughthought.com 

After a bad experience with someone who was supposed to help me, I started to think about what things people should just never say to the survivors of toxic people. This episode is about three of them! Instagram: www.instagram.com/empowermentthroughthought Email me: dr.louise@empowermentthroughthought.com 

So maybe its not actually *being* a jerk, but it can definitely feel like being a jerk. Most survivors tend to be people who care a lot about taking care of the folks around them. While that is a beautiful thing, reclaiming our agency post-abuse sometimes requires stepping outside of that role.  Struggling to navigate reclaiming your identity? Join my community to get support from fellow surv...

Three reasons to think the reason you keep finding yourself surrounded by toxic people has less to do with something fundamental about you and more to do with our tendency to seek out the familiar.

I lay out three criteria for being a high functioning survivor. I also share several reflection on how the survivor community needs and deserves more vocabulary to characterize their experiences.

I get real vulnerable here and talk about three big reasons every survivor should be so freaking proud of the ridiculously difficult stuff that we've all had to navigate. While some of these may feel basic, they really can be super important to keep in mind on our journey.

Survivors are often told that they shouldn't share their stories because it is stigmatizing to folks who have the same mental illnesses as their abuser. In this episode, I explore whether that has any merit and what, if any, conditions survivors should be open to revising their beliefs about toxic people.  Join The Survivors Plaza: www.facebook.com/groups/thesurvivorsplaza Follow me over on I...

When you can balance being data driven while honoring your feelings, you have a powerful method for navigating toxic people. I contrast this method with being an emotion based survivor and discuss three reasons being an Evidence Based Survivor can help you on your journey.  Reach out on Instagram: www.instagram.com/empowermentthroughthought Join The Survivor's Plaza: www.facebook.com/groups/t...

After sharing a bit on the timelines of my journey through my toxic parents, I share three things you can do to soothe the frustration we all feel about our speed of recovery from toxic people.  Join The Survivor's Plaza https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesurvivorsplaza Follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/empowermentthroughthought

Check out the brand new Facebook Group Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesurvivorsplaza Get the details on the clubhouse July 2nd 1pm Eastern here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQi3xrKDgZd/ 

This past Sunday was Father's day and this holiday, like so many for those of us with toxic family, can be a real struggle. I share my three-question debrief after every holiday to help myself get out of despair and into action. 

Three concrete things you can do to get the closure that you deserve without having to put yourself in harm's way.  Website: www.empowermentthroughthought.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/empowermentthroughthought

Making peace is an often overlooked part of the boundaries journey. In this episode, I explore three of the major payoffs of doing the work to make peace. I also introduce a tool that I have designed to help folks make peace with their boundaries. 

When you start out, it looks like all we need to do is establish some firm boundaries with toxic people and we can just go on with our lives. It is right that we need those firm boundaries, but it turns out we probably need a lot more smaller boundaries along the way. I go over three different spaces you may not expect to need boundaries when you start out, but you are probably going to discover a...

These characters are some of the hardest to deal with on our journey with toxic people. After exploring what exactly flying monkeys are, I talk about some of the ways that I have found to be effective in dealing with them. 

I know this might make you feel uncomfortable, but seriously every bit of work you can put toward this one is absolutely worth it! Join our community over on Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/empowermentthroughthought/    Work with me here:   https://www.empowermentthroughthought.com/consultation-page

I am officially announcing the start of my newest challenge - Boundaries Maintenance! This 5-day challenge is all about helping you advance on your journey by maintaining the boundaries that you've established to protect yourself against toxicity. Besides announcing the challenge, I give some general tips and tricks on how to navigate the boundaries maintenance stage of navigating toxic people! Si...

It's high time I talked about what you should actually do when you are ready to get the toxic people out of your life. In this episode, I break it down into a 5 step process.  Get the pdf guide here: https://www.empowermentthroughthought.com/opt-in

Sometimes the way we think about toxic people in the survivor community can bring us to some uncomfortable spaces when we are thinking about the children of these folks. In this episode, I explore that dynamic all thanks to a convo I had with a follower over on my Instagram page!

I've made some pretty big mistakes on my journey. Take a listen to this one and you might be able to save yourself from some of the same errors!

Going no contact may not be the right choice for everyone, but it has some definitely benefits. In this episode, I cover three of the best reasons for folks to build that no contact boundary.