In honor of National Adoption Month, Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW, sits down with her longtime friend and fellow adoptee, Barbara Eckert of All The Feels Healing Space, to share the parts of their adoption stories that shaped their “Traitor Within” — the protective inner voice that helped them survive but later drove people-pleasing, over-trusting, secrecy, and self-silencing. They discuss late disclosures, abandoned fantasies about birth families, the “primal wound,” somatic fallout, and practical tools for repair, including breathwork, therapy, and community. This candid conversation offers language, validation, and next steps for adult adoptees and adoptive parents alike.
Jessica Anne Pressler, LCSW: @jessicaannepressler | yourtraitorwithin.com
Barbara Eckert: @allthefeelshealingspace | allthefeelshealingspace.com
