Fear shouldn’t be the center of a life. Kim Lee, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, guides a clear, compassionate journey through recovery from coercive control and psychological abuse—mapping how survivors move from survival mode to self-trust, stability, and choice. We start by naming the pattern: recognizing coercive control as real, harmful, and now legally recognized in the UK. From there, we explore how therapy helps connect the dots, validate experience, and replace confusion with clarity, even when mixed emotions arise—relief beside grief, anger beside shock.
As safety grows, emotions thaw. Kim explains why sudden waves of tears or rage aren’t regression but the nervous system recalibrating after prolonged stress. We examine the internalized abuser—the inner critic that echoes past control—and learn practical ways to challenge its authority and install a kinder, steadier inner voice. The conversation moves into trauma triggers and the body’s alarms: conflict, tone, silence, and perceived blame. With approachable tools for regulation and grounding, Kim shows how to help the body recognize the present as safer than the past so triggers lose intensity over time.
Identity returns piece by piece. Listeners hear how to rebuild preferences, decision-making, and boundaries, and why confidence often follows action rather than preceding it. For those who notice repeated relationship patterns, Kim offers a nonjudgmental lens on attachment templates and repair. Throughout, the focus stays relational: healing is not linear, dreams may replay old scenes, and progress comes from consistent, contained support. The episode closes with grounded hope—thousands of women rebuild safety, identity, and emotional stability each year, and the same endurance that carried you through can carry you forward. If this resonates, follow the show, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these tools.
