Sometimes walking away is the moment you choose yourself. It’s the moment you decide, deep in your body, “This is the last time I will be treated like this, by anyone.” That clarity doesn’t come from anger. It comes from …
Category: Trauma
Why Extreme Behaviours Are Often Survival Strategies
Sometimes what we see on the surface looks chaotic, destructive, or hard to understand. But when you are caught in extreme coping behaviours — severe eating disorders, compulsive sexual behaviour, or addiction — what’s underneath is almost always pain that …
You Don’t Have to Hold It All Anymore
If you grew up with unstable parents, it is common to have a part of you that was busy trying to stabilise them. That might have meant watching out for them drinking too much or trying to be happy to …
Healing Isn’t Linear — And That’s Okay
One of the biggest misunderstandings I see in my clients is the belief that healing should be linear. That once you’ve done enough therapy, read the right books, or finally understand your past, you “graduate” from your wounds and never …
When You Don’t Realise How Traumatic Something Was — Until You Say It Out Loud
Sometimes you don’t realise how traumatic something is until you start telling someone else and you see the shock on their face. Sometimes we normalise deeply traumatic events to survive them. We make excuses or pretend it wasn’t that bad …
The Nervous System of a Woman Who Grew Up Without Emotional Support
Too many women grow up without the emotional care they need. Maybe your parents were physically present, put food on the table, and kept a roof over your head, but they weren’t emotionally attuned. Perhaps your distress was ignored, minimised, …
Good People Exist — Let Yourself Believe It
No one tells you how hard it is to rewire your brain to allow amazing things to happen after experiencing trauma or pain. Blessings exist, good people exist, and a softer life exists. Let it happen. — Layla Laurent Good …
Be Gentle With Your Protective Patterns
Be gentle with your protective patterns. They developed at a time when they were needed. Anger can be damaging — and it can be protective. Avoidance can hold you back — and it can be protective. Overthinking can be frustrating …
The Pain in My Hips Wouldn’t Go Away — Until I Stopped Trying to Fix My Body
It started back in Australia. I thought, “I’m just sitting too much.” So I walked every day. Did hip-opening yoga. Tried to fix it physically. But when I got to India… it got worse. Yesterday, I couldn’t get comfortable at …
Why Trauma Makes You Feel Like You Have to Understand Everything to Stay Safe
When you grow up or live through experiences where things felt unpredictable or unsafe, your nervous system learns a very specific survival strategy. It teaches you that understanding everything is the only way to stay safe. Trauma doesn’t just change …