Identifying Your Triggers as a Parent with a History of Trauma: Part 5 of 6 {EP 254}


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If you’re parenting a child with a vulnerable nervous system when you have your own history of trauma, you know that sometimes your reaction isn’t really about what’s happening in front of you; it’s about what’s happened before. In this episode, we’re talking about how to gently uncover what might be going on when you have a huge stress response to a stressor that didn’t quite need an attack-level watchdog response.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What a trigger actually is (and why it doesn’t feel like one in the moment)
  • How to tell if your nervous system is reacting to now… or something older
  • A simple step-by-step process to uncover and care for the belief driving your reaction

If you’re ready to go deeper into this work, the full Trigger Hunting masterclass is inside The Club.

Resources Mentioned on the Podcast

Listen on the Podcast

This blog is a short summary of a longer episode on The Baffling Behavior Show podcast.

Find The Baffling Behavior Show podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app.

Or, you can read the entire transcript of the episode by scrolling down and clicking ‘transcript.’

Robyn

Author of National Best Selling Book (including audiobook) Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work

/by

Caring for your Own Watchdog & Possum as a Parent with a History of Trauma: Part 4 of 6 {EP 253}


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Content note: This episode discusses trauma, nervous system activation, and protective responses such as shutdown, dissociation, anger, and urgency. There are no graphic details, but please take care while listening.

If you have a history of trauma, your watchdog and possum parts have likely been working hard for a long time. And when you’re parenting a child with big baffling behaviors, those protectors can get loud.

In this episode, we draw inspiration from Dan Siegel’s work to explore what it means to be with your watchdog and possum without becoming them. This isn’t about silencing your protectors. It’s about building a relationship with them.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How state integration allows you to notice your watchdog and possum parts without fusing with them
  • Why curiosity and compassion widen your window of tolerance more effectively than control or self-criticism
  • How caring for your protective parts begins with awareness, gratitude, and understanding what they need

Resources Mentioned on the Podcast

Listen on the Podcast

This blog is a short summary of a longer episode on The Baffling Behavior Show podcast.

Find The Baffling Behavior Show podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app.

Or, you can read the entire transcript of the episode by scrolling down and clicking ‘transcript.’

Robyn

Author of National Best Selling Book (including audiobook) Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work

/by

Nurturing Your Window of Tolerance as a Parent with a History of Trauma: Part 3 of 6 {EP 252}


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Content note: This episode discusses trauma, parenting stress, nervous system activation, and self-compassion. There are no graphic details, but please take care while listening.

Parenting a child with a vulnerable nervous system can stretch your capacity in profound ways, especially when you have a history of trauma yourself. In this episode, we explore what it really means to nurture your window of tolerance, not through force or self-discipline, but through safety, connection, and compassion. This episode is about strengthening your own stress response system, not by pushing harder, but by offering your nervous system the conditions it needs to feel safe.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why widening your window of tolerance after trauma has to be gentle, relational, and slow
  • How self-compassion functions as a powerful intervention to support your own nervous system
  • Practical, realistic ways to nurture your window of tolerance through connection, repair, honoring limits, and micro-cues of safety

Resources Mentioned on the Podcast

Listen on the Podcast

This blog is a short summary of a longer episode on The Baffling Behavior Show podcast.

Find The Baffling Behavior Show podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app.

Or, you can read the entire transcript of the episode by scrolling down and clicking ‘transcript.’

Robyn

Author of National Best Selling Book (including audiobook) Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work

/by

Your Trauma Shaped Nervous System Makes Sense Part 2 of 6 {EP 251}


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Content note: This episode discusses trauma, parenting stress, and nervous system activation. There are no graphic details, but please take care while listening.

If you’ve spent years learning about the nervous system to better support your child, and now you’re ready to offer the same curiosity and compassion to yourself, then this episode is for you. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How core nervous system concepts like connection vs. protection, regulation, and felt safety apply to your trauma-shaped nervous system
  • Why reactions rooted in watchdog and possum states make sense for you, too 
  • How sensitized stress responses, state-dependent functioning, and a narrowed window of tolerance explain why insight alone isn’t enough 

Resources Mentioned on the Podcast

Listen on the Podcast

This blog is a short summary of a longer episode on The Baffling Behavior Show podcast.

Find The Baffling Behavior Show podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app.

Or, you can read the entire transcript of the episode by scrolling down and clicking ‘transcript.’

Robyn

Author of National Best Selling Book (including audiobook) Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work

/by

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