How to Stop the Trauma App from Hijacking Your Brain

Post Traumatic Parenting

The metaphor I like to use the most for trauma is it’s like a mobile app running in the background. It drains your battery and keeps giving itself permissions unless you actively limit them. You could think of it as well-intentioned malware that was baked into your phone. What’s the goal of the trauma app? Restore a sense of safety.

But here is the thing. The trauma app can’t tell the difference between feeling safe and being safe. It overrides your true self and your ability to act in accordance with your values and that’s why it makes you engage in behaviors that create an illusion of safety at that moment but are actually not safe for you. Join me in today’s podcast episode as I explore how the trauma app works, its impact on your daily life, how you can stop it from hijacking your brain, and much more!

In this episode, I talk about:

• What is trauma
• Not all traumas are traumatic
• Why do we cling to behaviors that we know are counterproductive
• PTSD doesn't always look like shaking on the floor and panicking
• Unexpected parenting situations that will trigger you
• How to deal with a child’s meltdowns
• Why we don’t act in accordance with our values when we are in a stress response
• How to restore your sense of safety when you’re in a stress response
• Why are boundaries confusing for many post-traumatic parents

Connect with me on Instagram @dr.koslowitzpsychology and for full show notes and more resources visit www.drrobynkoslowitz.com/2023/05/01/how-to-stop-the-…cking-your-brain/