EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Trauma, Somatic Lauren Palmer EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Trauma, Somatic Lauren Palmer

What It Means to Parent When Your Nervous System Is Still Healing

Parenting doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it happens in the body you’ve carried your whole life. If you grew up with trauma, your child’s needs can stir old survival responses you didn’t even know were still there. This isn’t proof you’re failing; it’s proof your nervous system is asking for healing.

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Trauma, Anxiety, Somatic, EMDR, Internal Family Systems Lauren Palmer Trauma, Anxiety, Somatic, EMDR, Internal Family Systems Lauren Palmer

What the Nervous System Is Designed to Do (When We Don’t Interrupt It)

Most of us spend our lives trying to manage our nervous systems by calming down, pushing through, staying “regulated.” But the body already knows what to do if we stop getting in the way. This post explores what happens when we let the nervous system complete its natural rhythm: how it protects, releases, and restores itself when given space to do its job.

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Lauren Palmer Lauren Palmer

Chronic Pain as a Nervous System Story

Chronic pain isn’t just about the body. For many, it carries the imprint of past trauma: shaping tension, breath, and even how safe it feels to rest. Healing doesn’t always mean erasing pain; sometimes it means building a new relationship with your body, one where safety and connection are finally possible.

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Attachment, Relationships Lauren Palmer Attachment, Relationships Lauren Palmer

Why Your Attachment Style Changes Depending on the Relationship

You’ve probably seen the posts: “Are you anxious, avoidant, or secure?” It’s catchy, it’s clickable, and it scratches the ever-so-human itch of wanting to understand yourself in one neat label. But here’s the thing: attachment isn’t a Buzzfeed quiz result. It’s a living, breathing pattern that shifts depending on the context you’re in.

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Lauren Palmer Lauren Palmer

Why You Feel Empty After a Big Achievement

Most people expect a rush of relief or satisfaction after they finally reach a long-awaited goal. When milestones like graduation, a promotion, finishing the marathon, or passing the exam come along, you imagine yourself celebrating, proud, or maybe even transformed.

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Anxiety Lauren Palmer Anxiety Lauren Palmer

The Hidden Cost of Over-Analyzing Your Feelings

You can name the emotion and trace it back to the moment it started. You might even know exactly which childhood experience planted the seed. And yet… nothing changes.

If this sounds familiar, you’re probably no stranger to over-analyzing your feelings, a habit that can feel productive, even therapeutic, but often leaves you stuck in the same emotional loop.

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Lauren Palmer Lauren Palmer

Why Your Nervous System Still Feels Unsafe in a Safe Relationship

You’ve found someone kinds who listens to you and treats you with respect. And yet, your body doesn’t seem to believe it. Instead, your body buzzes with anxiety: feeling jumpy when they walk into the room unexpectedly, pulling back when they reach for your hand. You can’t quite relax, even when you logically know there’s no sign of danger.

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Trauma, Somatic Lauren Palmer Trauma, Somatic Lauren Palmer

What It Actually Means to “Be In Your Body”

If you’ve ever felt confused, disconnected, or even irritated by that phrase, you’re not alone. Many people—especially those who’ve experienced trauma, chronic stress, or simply grown up in a culture that values thinking over feeling—find the idea of “being in your body” abstract at best and overwhelming at worst.

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Trauma, Relationships Lauren Palmer Trauma, Relationships Lauren Palmer

Why You Shut Down During Conflict: A Trauma-Informed Explanation

Ever found yourself going completely blank during a heated conversation?

You’re in the middle of an argument and your mind fogs over, your chest tightens, or suddenly you completely lose track of what you wanted to say.  This isn’t just a matter of being “bad at communicating”, it’s a trauma response that deserves attention.

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EMDR, Trauma Lauren Palmer EMDR, Trauma Lauren Palmer

How EMDR Rewires the Brain: The Science Behind Healing Trauma

Trauma has a profound impact on the brain. It can leave individuals feeling stuck, emotionally overwhelmed, and disconnected from their sense of safety. However, a groundbreaking therapeutic approach known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is changing the way we understand trauma recovery. EMDR doesn’t just help individuals process difficult memories—it actually works to rewire the brain.

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Burnout Lauren Palmer Burnout Lauren Palmer

When Your Job Becomes Your Personality: The Psychology of Over-Identification with Work

For many high-functioning adults, work isn't just something you do — it's who you are.

You don’t just have a job. You are the doctor. The founder. The reliable team lead. The problem solver.
And over time, it can become difficult to separate your identity from your role — until the job ends, changes, or drains you so completely that you’re left wondering, Who am I without it?

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Trauma, Grief Lauren Palmer Trauma, Grief Lauren Palmer

How to Talk to Kids After a Natural Disaster or Tragedy

When a natural disaster hits—like the recent flooding across parts of Texas—the damage isn’t just physical. Even if your home is safe or your family wasn’t directly impacted, kids may still absorb the emotional weight of what’s happening around them. They hear adult conversations. They pick up on fear. They see images on the news or TikTok that they don’t fully understand.

And yet, many parents feel unsure about what to say.
How much is too much? Should I protect them from the details? What if I don’t have the right words?

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Internal Family Systems, Trauma Lauren Palmer Internal Family Systems, Trauma Lauren Palmer

Adulting Without a Model: Reparenting Yourself When You Didn’t Learn How to Regulate, Rest, or Relate

Many adults enter therapy having never had an emotionally attuned caregiver. Parents may have been physically present but emotionally unavailable, unpredictable, or wrapped up in their own survival. In these environments, you learn to stay quiet, stay helpful, or stay strong—but not how to stay connected to yourself.

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