Healing Your History to Help Your Kids Heal Theirs with Dr. Robyn Koslowitz, Ph.D.

Do you feel like raising a child with a history of trauma has stirred up your own traumatic past? If you wonder how to parent from a position of healing, listen to this conversation with Dr. Robyn Koslowitz. She is a psychologist, trauma expert, and author of the new book, "Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be" (https://amzn.to/4401d1k).

In this episode, we discuss:
1:42 - You open your book by saying, ‘It’s not you, it’s your trauma.’ That feels like both a relief and a challenge. Can you unpack that for parents and caregivers who blame themselves for every misstep in their parenting?
4:13 - When you use the term post-traumatic parent, what do you mean? How does that differ from saying ‘parent with trauma’ or ‘healed parent’?
8:52 - Many caregivers feel haunted by an internal guilt that says, “How can I give what I never received?” How can parents or caregivers move from guilt to agency—without glossing over the pain?
18:44 - What are the 5 post-traumatic parenting defaults you identify in your book? What do they look like in real-life moments of parenting?
23:12 - How does a parent choose not to opt into those old trauma-driven defaults (e.g., yelling, withdrawal, overcontrol) in the moment?
38:58 - What is the concept of cycle-breaking versus cycle-making, and how is it valuable for breaking those unhealthy parenting patterns?
45:28 - What are some practical applications of this post-traumatic parenting reframe?
52:40 - How can a parent create and maintain trauma-responsive routines or rituals that will increase a child’s sense of felt safety, without being rigid or feeling like a bunch of rules they must follow?

This podcast is brought to you by CreatingaFamily.org. For more tipsheets, resources, and practical information, visit our website.
Music Credit: Michael Ashworth
Podcast Producer: megownsoundworks.com