Today, we’re talking about something that looks like strength… but often hides exhaustion and that is high-functioning perfectionism.

I want to preface today’s discussion by saying that I am a fan girl of reality TV for Ancient Aliens, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, The Dead Files, Ghost Hunters, and Kindred Spirits. I have watched all these shows since their day 1 or pilot episode. My interest in all types of paranormal investigation shows goes all the way back to Paranormal State before the accusations and debunking of the show was a thing.

Today we’re diving into something that sits underneath so many of our struggles with relationships, anxiety, disconnection, even shame. The terms attachment wounding and attachment trauma are closely related—but they’re not the same. The difference mostly comes down to intensity, repetition, and nervous system impact.

Today I want to talk about emotional shutdown from trauma and dissociation vs autism. This is an important and nuanced question, especially because emotional shutdown can look like autism on the surface, and autism can include shutdowns. The overlap is real, but the underlying mechanisms are different.

Today I am going to talk about shame and CPTSD dissociation. I will be going deeper into the nervous system mechanics behind shame and dissociation in complex trauma. This episode will also explore how polyvagal theory helps us understand why shame feels so overwhelming — and why dissociation isn’t weakness, but protection. And why shame becomes identity. I will also touch briefly on shame and shadow work.

Today we’ll explore how CPTSD and ADHD overlap, why they often get missed or misdiagnosed, and what healing can actually look like. Increasing research suggests significant bidirectional interaction between trauma exposure and executive functioning deficits. Today’s episode synthesizes clinical research, neurobiology, and treatment implications.

Today we’re talking about something that many therapists, counseling students, and clients feel unsure about at first… spirituality in psychotherapy. And this can be a touchy subject because spirituality is not religion necessarily — but meaning, purpose, identity, and how clients connect to the world around them and make sense of suffering.

This episode is designed with people in mind who live with depression, dysthymia, complex trauma, attachment trauma, or dissociation. It's important to respect safety through pacing and supporting choice. That means I will move slowly. I’ll explain concepts in a grounding way, and you're always invited to pause, skip ahead, or come back later. I encourage you to take in the information in “chunks”.

This episode is designed with people in mind who live with complex trauma, attachment trauma, or dissociation. It's important to respect safety through pacing and supporting choice. That means I will move slowly. I’ll explain concepts in a grounding way, and you're always invited to pause, skip ahead, or come back later.

This episode is designed with people in mind who live with complex trauma, attachment trauma, or dissociation. It's important to respect safety through pacing and supporting choice. That means we will move slowly. We'll explain concepts in a grounding way, and you're always invited to pause, skip ahead, or come back later.

Today I am going to talk about dissociative identity disorder.

Today I want to connect what I have talked about so far and give some examples of what it could look like when I have a client that has CPTSD.

So today I'm going to talk about something in response to a question I got from podcast one. The question was does aphantasia which is the inability to voluntarily generate a visual mental image, does that interfere with autobiographical recall of information?

Today I am going to talk about dissociation and give a brief overview of dissociative disorders.

Today I am going to talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

My name is Mary Fierst, and I am the OG Woowoo Therapist. That moniker was given to me by a substance abuse client I worked with in 1997.