When “Closeness” Costs You Your Self: Understanding and Healing from Enmeshment Trauma You may not have called it trauma. In fact, you may have called it love. Maybe you grew up in a family that seemed close. Really close. You talked every day. You knew everything about each other. You were the one everyone leaned […]

Learning to Be on Your Own Side: What Self-Compassion Really Means Most of us know how to show up for others when they’re hurting. We offer kind words. We soften our tone. We reassure. But when we’re the ones in pain-whether we’ve made a mistake, feel like we’re falling short, or are stuck in the […]

When Food Feels Safer Than Feelings: A Gentle Path Toward Healing Emotional Eating Have you ever opened the fridge-not because your body needed food, but because your heart felt heavy? Maybe you were anxious. Lonely. Overwhelmed. Maybe you just needed something to soften the edges of a moment that felt too sharp to bear. It’s […]

What If Your Thoughts Aren’t Even Yours? How Introjection Shapes Who You Think You Are  “I don’t even know who I am.” If you’ve ever thought that, whether in therapy, to a friend, or quietly in your own head, I want you to know something – it’s okay. In fact, it’s more common than you […]

Before You Say “I Do”: How to Build a Relationship That Actually Lasts A guide for couples who want more than just a beautiful wedding day   What if the best time to do the deeper work in your relationship isn’t when things feel hard-but before the wedding, before the ring, maybe even before the […]

A Big Factor Keeping You Stuck: Are You Living in Fantasy or Reality? Have you ever wondered, why do I still feel stuck even though I’m doing the work? Do you feel like you’ve been patient, loving, understanding-maybe even bending over backwards-but nothing is actually changing? Are you holding onto the hope that someone will […]

The Truth About Anxiety: It’s Not What You Think It Is We all have anxiety. Every single one of us. It lives on a continuum. Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. And we’ve all felt it – think about the first day […]

Deconstructing Disappointment: Healing the Shame, Reclaiming Your Worth Have you ever felt like a disappointment to someone you deeply care about? Maybe you’ve asked yourself, “Why does this hurt so much?” Or maybe the voice inside says, “I let them down. I let myself down.” If this is you, take a deep breath. You are […]

Top 10 Most Downloaded Close the Chapter Podcast Episodes in 2024 I just want to take a minute to say thank you-seriously, thank you so much-for being a part of the Close the Chapter Podcast journey. Whether you’ve been here since day one (April 22, 2019!) or just started tuning in, I’m so grateful for […]