Mato just raised pre-seed Read more
Podcast charts
Published by Faustina
Light in the Battle is a podcast for autistic and AuDHD single mothers recovering from narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse, and legal abuse while navigating family court, high-conflict co-parenting, autistic burnout, and raising autistic or PDA children. Practical, ND-friendly, trauma-informed tools for nervous system regulation, custody stress, sensory overwhelm, trauma recovery, documentation, communication, and rebuilding stability after coercive control.
On the charts
Every published chart this podcast appears in, in the snapshot behind this page. Each one links to the chart it came off.
The Mato Topic Intelligence Platform does not report this podcast as charting in a published category in this snapshot.
From the feed
The latest episodes published to this podcast’s own RSS feed. Titles and descriptions are the publisher’s.
You do not need to solve the problem while your nervous system is reacting to it. 38. Triggered: How to Regulate Yourself Before You React (ASD, Trauma, Legal Abuse, Post-Separation Abuse & Narcissistic Abuse) | Inner Stability, Season 3 You know the feeling. A message comes in. An accusation is made. Your co-parent changes the plan. A lawyer sends an email. Something happens that immediately sends your nervous system into overdrive — and suddenly, dealing with it feels urgent . You may understand narcissistic abuse. You may have done enormous amounts of trauma recovery. You may even be emotionally detached from the person who once had tremendous power over you. You may understand your autism full well. And you can still get triggered. So what do you actually do in the moment ? Welcome back to Season 3 of Light in the Battle : Inner Stability , where we explore what it takes for autistic women to build stability while navigating trauma, narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse, legal abuse and high-conflict co-parenting. In this episode, we're moving from understanding the autistic nervous system to working with it when activation is already happening. We explore: What to do when you've been triggered by a high-conflict interaction Acute nervous system regulation for autistic women Why urgency can be dangerous when you're dealing with narcissistic abuse Regulating before responding to provocative emails, texts or legal communication Autism-friendly regulation when traditional calming techniques don't work for you Separating the nervous-system reaction from the problem you actually need to solve Creating enough space between a trigger and your response to make deliberate decisions Because responding and reacting are not the same thing . And when you're navigating adult autism, high-conflict co-parenting, family court, legal abuse or post-separation abuse , that distinction can matter enormously. This episode is about what happens in that space between “I've been triggered” and “Now I have to decide what I'm going to do.” Follow Light in the Battle for more on autism and narcissistic abuse, ASD and trauma, autistic burnout, nervous system regulation, emotional detachment, legal abuse, post-separation abuse, family court and high-conflict co-parenting. Light in the Battle is based on lived experience and is not medical, psychological or legal advice. Please work with qualified professionals for your individual circumstances. Until the fog starts to lift, take it one day at a time.
What happens when something profoundly unfair happens to you, namely in family court — and your (autistic) brain simply cannot let it go ? Welcome back to Season 3 of Light in the Battle : Inner Stability , where we're exploring what it takes for autistic women to remain regulated while navigating trauma, narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse, legal abuse and high-conflict co-parenting. In this episode, we're talking about injustice wounds , sometimes called injustice trauma : the experience of injustice that doesn't simply feel upsetting, but feels unresolved . For survivors, that might mean being lied about, misunderstood, invalidated, watching manipulation succeed, dealing with an unfair court outcome, facing smear campaigns, or seeing harmful behavior go without consequences. Especially hard when you’re watching it happen to your kids. And for some women with autism, the combination of strongpattern recognition, a drive for consistency and coherence, and sensitivity to perceived unfairness can make these experiences particularly difficult to put down. We talk about: Why injustice can become such a powerful trigger Autism, fairness and unresolved inconsistency The compulsion to correct the record Rumination and repeatedly trying to “solve” something that has already happened How injustice can keep your nervous system connected to the person or conflict Why this consumes precious autistic capacity The difference between accepting reality and approving of it Why surrender may ultimately be necessary for emotional detachment Because sometimes you don't get the apology. The lie doesn't get corrected. The system doesn't acknowledge what happened. And justice may not arrive in the form you were waiting for. So how do you keep fighting the battles that actually needfighting — without continuing to fight the injustice inside your own head every day, as an autistic mom? That's what we're talking about today. Note: “Injustice wound” and “injustice trauma” are used in this episode as descriptive concepts, not formal clinical diagnoses. Follow Light in the Battle for more on autism, ASD, narcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, legal abuse, post-separation abuse, autism, narcissism, NPD, autistic burnout, nervous system regulation and high-conflict co-parenting. Take it one day at a time.
What do you do when this isn't ordinary exhaustion, and this isn’t temporary dysregulation anymore—your capacity has actually collapsed? You may be experiencing autistic burnout. Autistic Burnout Recovery: You Can’t Function Like You Used To — Low-Demand Lifestyle If even thinking about it is too much, off ramp here: Autistic Burnout Meditation. Welcome back to Season 3 of Light in the Battle : Inner Stability — a podcast for autistic women navigating trauma recovery, narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse and high-conflict co-parenting. What happens when nervous system regulation isn't enough because you've already been overloaded for too long? You may reach a point where your capacity itself has dropped. Things you used to do easily, suddenly feel impossible. Executive functioning gets worse. Sensory tolerance decreases. Socializing costs more. Decisions become harder. You need longer to recover from ordinary demands. And yet you're looking at the person you used to be and thinking: Why can't I just function like I used to? This episode is about autistic burnout — and why trying harder may be exactly the wrong response. We explore: • What autistic burnout can look like in adult women • The difference between temporary dysregulation and a deeper loss of capacity • Executive functioning difficulties during burnout • Increased sensory sensitivity and reduced social capacity • Why legal abuse, post-separation abuse, parenting, work and chronic unpredictability can create relentless demands on the autistic brain, with very little opportunity for recovery • Why comparing your current capacity to your previous capacity doesn't help • How to aggressively reduce demands when you're already in the hole • A practical four-category system: must happen / can be simplified / can wait / can disappear entirely • Easier meals, repeated outfits, predictable routines, fewer decisions, fewer commitments and protected sensory recovery • Why rest and recovery aren't necessarily the same thing ( listen to Episode 8 , Rest vs. Escape) • How to rebuild gradually without immediately filling every bit of capacity that comes back. This is where the low-demand lifestyle becomes more than a nice idea. When you're in autistic burnout, your standards may need to change temporarily. Dinner can be easy. The laundry can wait. You can decline the invitation. You can wear the same clothes. You can stop stacking stressful appointments. You can automate recurring decisions. And an upsetting email that doesn't require an immediate response can become tomorrow's problem. The goal isn't to abandon your responsibilities. It's to become ruthless about distinguishing an actual responsibility from a standard, expectation, habit or unnecessary demand. And as capacity begins to return, resist the temptation to immediately fill the space. Keep the low-demand lifestyle, the low-demand frame. Because autistic burnout recovery isn't about forcing yourself back into the exact life that burned through your capacity in the first place. It's an opportunity to build differently for the future. Season 3 is about Inner Stability . And sometimes inner stability means accepting: My capacity has changed. So, for now, my expectations need to change with it. Follow Light in the Battle for more on autism, autistic burnout recovery, nervous system regulation, trauma recovery, narcissistic abuse, legal abuse and post-separation abuse. Disclaimer: Light in the Battle shares lived experience and educational information and is not a substitute for individualized medical, mental health or legal advice. Take it one day at a time. And practice this Autistic Burnout Meditation .
Regulation, and inner stability, isn't just the stuff you do when you're overwhelmed. It's the way you arrange your lifestyle, so overwhelm becomes less frequent. This Episode is for autistic single moms and survivors of narcissistic abuse, who may be asking themselves, "How can I build a life that helps my nervous system reach overwhelm less often in the first place?" Welcome back to Season 3 of Light in the Battle : Inner Stability — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. Most advice about nervous system regulation starts at the wrong moment. It comes when you're already overwhelmed, and already in one of the four trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze or fawn . You're already having a panic attack. Already shutting down. Already wondering why you can't think straight. And then someone tells you to take a deep breath. And while breathing exercises can absolutely be helpful, they're only one small piece of the puzzle. In this episode, we're taking a different approach. Instead of asking, "How do I calm myself down once I'm overwhelmed?" we're asking: "How can I build a life that helps my nervous system reach overwhelm less often in the first place?" That's what I call proactive nervous system regulation. It’s prevention. In this episode, we explore: • Why regulation starts long before you're overwhelmed • How to think of your nervous system as having a limited daily capacity • The difference between activities that drain your energy and those that restore it - like the battery on your smartphone. • Why lowering unnecessary demands is one of the keys, as a recovery strategy • How predictable routines can reduce the mental load on an autistic nervous system • The importance of recognizing your own early warning signs before reaching a breaking point • Why giving yourself permission to pause can be one of the most regulating things you do • How we sometimes unintentionally keep our nervous system activated by replaying conflict, checking for danger or mentally rehearsing worst-case scenarios • Why discomfort doesn't always mean danger If you've spent years believing that you simply need to become tougher, more productive or better at coping, and you’re now asking yourself “what’s wrong with me?”… This episode offers another perspective. Maybe the goal isn't to become someone who can tolerate endless stress, and push through forever. Maybe the goal is to stop asking your nervous system to push through things it no longer needs to survive. One of the most powerful questions you can begin asking yourself is: "Is this worth spending my capacity on?" Because your capacity is finite. Not your intelligence, nor your love for your children, nor your resilience. Your capacity . And learning to protect it may be one of the most important skills you'll ever develop. Inner stability isn't built through one breathing exercise or one perfect morning routine. It's built through hundreds of small choices that protect your energy, protect your nervous system, and save your “battery”, day in and day out. Follow Light in the Battle to continue Season 3: Inner Stability , where we explore nervous system regulation, autism, trauma recovery, legal abuse, post-separation abuse and practical strategies for staying grounded in high-conflict environments. Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related to autism, trauma recovery and narcissistic abuse. It is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health or legal advice. Take it one day at a time.
Here we explore the difference between * the Freeze trauma response, * autistic Shutdown , and * Dissociation in autistic women in trauma recovery. Welcome back to Season 3 of Light in the Battle :Inner Stability — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. Find me on Facebook . In Episode 32, we explored why high-conflict co-parenting is such a uniquely dysregulating environment for autistic women . In Episode 33, we looked at what happens when trauma teaches the autistic nervous system to expect danger. Now we're looking at what can happen when that system reaches capacity. Freeze. Shutdown. Dissociation. They aren't the same thing, although they can overlap — and when you're an autistic or AuDHD single mother navigating trauma recovery, CPTSD, PTSD, sensory overwhelm, executive dysfunction and high-conflict situations, figuring out exactly what's happening inside your brain and body can be complicated. Sometimes you know exactly what needs to be done... but you can't do it. You stare at the email for three hours. You can't make the phone call. Someone asks you an unexpected question, and suddenly you can't find your words. You're physically present during a conversation, but mentally, you're somewhere else entirely. Or maybe you've held it together through the court deadline, the difficult message from your ex, work, noise, a changed schedule and your child's meltdown — and then it turns out it's time for dinner. And that's what finally breaks the system. In this episode, we explore: A brief reminder of the 4 trauma responses –fight, flight, freeze and fawn. What a trauma freeze response can look like in everyday life The difference between trauma-related freeze and autistic shutdown How sensory overload, emotional stress, uncertainty and accumulated demands can push an autistic woman's nervous system beyond capacity Why autism and trauma responses can be so difficult to separate What dissociation can actually feel like — including the less dramatic forms people may not recognize Why you can appear completely functional on the outside while having absolutely nothing left internally How masking can hide the true extent of overwhelm Why freeze, shutdown and dissociation can affect communication, decision-making, memory and self-advocacy Why all of this matters when you're dealing with narcissistic abuse, high-conflict co-parenting or legal abuse in family court For autistic women, the question isn't simply: "What triggered this? What am I afraid of?" Today, the better question is: "How many things has my brain been forced to process?" Is it an autistic shutdown? A trauma response? Sensory overload? Executive dysfunction? Or several of the above at once? Well, there isn't a clean answer. But understanding what's happening matters — because when your system is overwhelmed, you may struggle to communicate clearly, make decisions, recall information or stay present during important interactions. And for an autistic survivor of narcissistic abuse navigating high-conflict co-parenting or family court, inner stability is part of being able to function. Sometimes your system isn't refusing to function. It's telling you that its capacity has been exceeded. In Episode 32, we looked at the environment. In Episode 33, we looked at what trauma can do to the nervous system. Here, we're looking at what can happen when that system reaches capacity. And next, we will start talking about what we can actually do about it. Follow Light in the Battle to continue Season 3: Inner Stability , a journey through autism, ASD, nervous system regulation, trauma recovery and staying stable in high-conflict situations. Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related to autism, ASD, narcissistic abuse recovery, legal abuse and trauma recovery. It is no substitute for professional medical, legal or mental health advice. Take it one day at a time.
Here's what trauma has done to your autistic nervous system. In Season 3 we are "zooming in" the day- to-day reality of living with trauma, while we do the extensive, long term work of healing from narcissistic abuse. We work to understand trauma, and we explore ways to heal the nervous system. In this particular episode, we discuss why autistic brains are particularly prone to trauma after abuse, what that feels like in daily life, and we talk about neuroplasticity. Your brain has become traumatized. It can become healthy. It works both ways.
In this episode, we explore: • Why high-conflict co-parenting is uniquely dysregulating for women with autism • How ASD nervous systems respond to unpredictability and coparenting conflict • Why your body may feel constantly “on alert” after narcissistic abuse • Hypervigilance, overthinking, fawning, and emotional exhaustion • The impact of high-conflict coparenting on sleep, sensory overwhelm, executive functioning, your parenting bandwidth, and your work capacity. • Why women on the spectrum often mask, fawn, or over-explain under stress • How nervous system dysregulation affects communication and legal strategy • Why emotional detachment is difficult when the body still feels unsafe Welcome to Season 3 of Light in the Battle : InnerStability — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. In Season 2, we focused on Emotional Detachment : * Breaking the Trauma Bond * PTSD and CPTSD recovery * forgiveness , not reconciliation * codependency as a general concept but more specifically in autistic women here . * the importance of fellowship and mentorship * gratitude after narcissistic abuse * surrender * grief The goal was to suggest an overall journey to go through in order to detach and become a Family Court Ninja . Here we move into the next phase, learning how to stabilize your nervous system while living through high-conflict realities. In your day to day. Because understanding narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse and legal abuse is one thing. But functioning calmly, strategically and consistently while dealing with family court anxiety , co-parenting conflict, unpredictability, and emotional pressure, is something else entirely. For many survivors of narcissistic abuse, high-conflict co-parenting becomes more than a legal situation. It becomes a chronic nervous system stressor. And autistic women are especially vulnerable to this because many of us rely on: * predictability, * emotional safety, * routine, * clear rules to follow, to function well. When those disappear, the nervous system may begin reacting as though danger is constant. That can look like: * re-reading messages repeatedly * adrenaline spikes when you hear notifications * freezing during conflict * difficulty relaxing when the child is away * constant mental scanning. This episode is not about blaming yourself for your reactions. It’s about understanding why your system responds this way — and why regulation matters. Because you cannot stay strategic, emotionally detached or calm under pressure, if your nervous system is constantly in survival mode. This season is about learning how to build Inner Stability. 👉 Follow the show to continue Season 3 👉Leave a 5* review if this podcast is helping you navigate trauma recovery, autism (ASD), and high-conflict co-parenting 👉 Follow Light in the Battle on Facebook for daily hacks and to DM me directly if needed. Take it one day at a time. Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related tonarcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice. High conflict coparenting, high conflict divorce, family court, custody battle, narcissistic abuse survivor, autism, autistic single mother
Your nervous system has been trained to stay on high alert. That's what's familiar. And so being calm feels unsafe. Over time, and it's an integral part of PTSD or CPTSD recovery , you can train your nervous system to enjoy those moments of calm. They're actually what will make you more impactful in family court , and they're an integral part of narcissistic abuse recovery . When navigating narcissistic abuse, prolonged post-separation abuse and legal abuse , you may be carrying CPTSD or PTSD. Add ADHD and ASD into the mix, and you've got a pretty messed up nervous system. The good news is that just like your nervous system was trained for stress, you can train it to enjoy peace, and calm. Not a legal nor mental health professional. Bring anything that resonates to the attention of a professional. Find me on Facebook at Light in the Battle where we can chat. I still have time to help survivors see through the fog, to assist them with their mindset shift, and I do this for free at the moment. www.lightinthebattle.com
We've been trained to explain ourselves. Either through a toxic abusive relationship, through a lifetime of living with autism and being misunderstood, or by walking the journey of raising a child with autism and/or PDA. It's taking energy away from what matters: your mental health, and your kids. When people are committed to misunderstanding you, consciously or not, share what you have to share and keep it moving. In this episode Faustina reflects on her journey with all of the above and explains why sharing less, is actually safer. In the context of coparenting with a narcissist, or someone who exhibits dysfunctional traits of behavior, the way you communicate, and how much content you produce as you attempt to explain your decisions, can be used against you in family court. Judges won't be able to see who the safe, child-focused parent is if you ramble and come from an emotional place. Detach, share what you legally have to share, and be on your merry way. In the context of raising a PDA child, you'll be making decisions that most parents won't understand. And unless they are willing to educate themselves and research PDA, there is approximately zero point in explaining why you're raising the kids this or that way. It's not your job to educate people when every ounce of your energy must be preserved. In the context of a late autism diagnosis, and faced with the adjustments that you make to your life as you start to unmask, the people who have known you for a long time won't take it well either. Maybe they can't be friends with the person you really are without the autistic masking. Maybe they weren't the right people for you all along. Unless they behave like safe people, they don't deserve your explanations. You're already exhausted from figuring out how to function in a neurotypical world. Please take whatever resonates with you to the attention of a legal or mental health professional. You DO have to disclose certain things to your coparent, and you DO want to build safe connection with your safe people as you crawl your way out of CPTSD or PTSD.
In this short episode, we’re talking about something that keeps many survivors stuck: closure. We’re often told we need: an apology accountability understanding a “clean ending” But in high-conflict dynamics — and especially after narcissistic abuse — that closure often never comes. And waiting for it can keep you: emotionally attached mentally replaying the past stuck in a loop of “maybe one day they’ll get it” • Why closure is often unavailable after narcissistic abuse - the self-verification concept is what makes it impossible • How waiting for understanding keeps you tied to the other person • The difference between external closure and internal decision • Why emotional detachment requires letting go of being understood • How to move forward without resolution • The link between closure, surrender, and trauma recovery Closure is not something you need the other person to give you. Because needing anything from someone with narcissistic tendencies is dangerous. Closure is another thing to let go of. “I understand what happened. I don’t like it. I don’t agree with it. But I accept that this is who they are.” From there, you stop: re-explaining rehashing trying to be understood And you start moving forward without needing their version of the story. For autistic women navigating trauma recovery and narcissistic abuse recovery , this shift is key to breaking emotional attachment and reclaiming your energy. You don’t need the story to end cleanly. You need to stop revisiting it - which may require a bit of trauma work. 👉 Follow the show for more short, practical episodes on emotional detachment, autism (ASD), and high-conflict co-parenting 👉 Leave a review if this content is helping you move forward Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related to narcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice. Take it one day at a time.
How do you get anything done when you're a PDA adult? When everything feels like a demand, from responding to an email from your lawyer to the simple fact your body says it's time to get a sip of water? Just like the autistic burnout meditation I created for myself,these are affirmations I recorded for myself and that are having quite the impact on getting stuff done in my life. Stuff that society expects, that "normal" people do, that my body expects of me, etc. I now do things because I WANT TO DO THEM. Not because my body says it needs it, because my phone tells me I need to answer a call, or because normal people make their bed in the morning. I hope this helps other PDA adults reframe the demands intostuff you want to do for yourself, because it's important to YOU. PDA stands for Pervasive Drive for Autonomy, also known asPathological Demand Avoidance. It can greaty impact your quality of life as a PDA single mother, because the underlying dynamics that enable you to do all the things for your child, are not the same that require you to do all the things for yourself. For your child, it's an ancestral instinct geared towardsthe survival of the species, so you do everything your kids need. But when it comes to you, as an autistic single mother with PDA, especially after you're out of battery, you will 100% refuse to wash your face in the evening, or to respond to your friends who are checking in on you. There's a bit of mental exhaustion mixed with task paralysis. So let's reframe those demands, into things we want for ourselves. This invisible disability, this neurodivergent life doesn't have to take a massive toll on our social lives, on our health, on our careers, on our daily functioning, on our ability to ask for help, and such. Keywords (look away!) PDA affirmations, autistic adults, autism burnout recovery,PDA autism support, neurodivergent affirmations, gentle self care autism, PDA meditation, nervous system regulation autism, demand avoidance adults, low demand lifestyleautism, autism meditation, guided affirmations adults PDA affirmations for demand avoidance PDA profile adult support strategies affirmations for taskavoidance autism internalized demand resistance affirmations PDA Affirmations for Adults, PDA Meditation for Adult PDA, Adult PDA Meditation Adult PDA Affirmations PDA Affirmations for Autistic Adults, Adult PDA Meditation,Adult PDA Affirmations, Meditation for PDA adults- Pervasive Drive for Autonomy- Pathological Demand Avoidance - PDA Autism Affirmations for Adults, PDA Affirmations forAutistic Adults, Getting Shit Done with PDA
You don't win in court by being right, nor by feeling strongly about things. You increase your odds of protecting the kids from harm by becoming regulated, consistent, strategic, coachable, and impossible to trigger and bait. This is the Season Finale for Season 2. In the context of legal abuse and post-separation abuse at the hands of a coparent that displays narcissistic patterns of behavior, family court and custody battles require a particular strategy. While several well-known influencers in the "divorcing a narcissist" space give amazing advice, and I recommend two in particular here, there is a gap between the time you come out of the abusive relationship, and the time you are able to receive the amazing legal advice and mindset coaching that they suggest. You cannot hear what they recommend, if you're still highly emotional, easily triggered, traumatized, if you've been sending emails that can be used against you, etc. This season has taken you through a complete journey of trauma recovery : the trauma bond PTSD and CPTSD EMDR and nervous system regulation forgiveness without reconciliation codependency & its ties to autism fellowship and mentorship with the STAR Network gratitude surrender grief This entire process was designed to lead you to one place: emotional detachment. And not as a concept — but as an advantage in high-conflict situations. • Why emotional detachment is about what you can control • Why being “right” is not enough in family court • How trauma responses can undermine your credibility without you realizing it • Why legal strategies only work when your nervous system is regulated • The gap between legal advice and emotional readiness • How emotional detachment changes your communication, documentation, and presence • Why family courts and judges respond to consistency, stability, and behavior — not your internal experience • The shift from reacting to acting strategically • How detachment can protect your energy, your child, and your long-term outcomes For a survivor of narcissistic abuse , especially an autistic woman navigating trauma recovery, this work is not optional. Without emotional detachment: you remain reactive you remain entangled you risk creating evidence that can be used against you With emotional detachment: you become calm you become consistent you become credible And that changes everything. This is the difference between knowing what to do, and being able to do it under pressure. Many resources exist to help you navigate family court. But most of them assume that you are already regulated, grounded, and emotionally detached. This season was about getting you there. So that when you receive legal advice, you can: apply it sustain it and execute it without self-sabotage As we close Season 2, remember: Emotional detachment is not about becoming passive, or surrendering, quite the opposite. It is about: being in control of what you can control — your mindset and how you show up — no matter what is happening around you. This is where your power is. 👉 Follow the show for future seasons on trauma recovery, autism and high-conflict co-parenting 👉 Leave a review if this season helped you — it helps reach more survivors Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related to narcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice.
Grief After Narcissistic Abuse: Mourning What Was Lost Grief is what happens when you stop fighting reality — andfinally allow yourself to feel what it cost you. For a survivor of narcissistic abuse , those lossescan be significant, complex, and often invisible to others. Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. Emotional Detachment as a Tactical Advantage for FamilyCourt — Season 2 This season is a journey from the trauma bond toemotional freedom . We’ve covered trauma recovery through PTSD and CPTSD, EMDR, forgiveness without reconciliation, codependency, fellowship, gratitude, and surrender. In this episode, we arrive at a step that cannot be skipped: grief. In this episode, we explore: • Grieving the life you thought you were building • Grieving a reality that looks nothing like what you planned • The loss of personal belongings, stability, and shared history • Losing friendships, social circles, and cutting off “flying monkeys” • Grieving changes in your relationship with your children, including parental alienation • The loss of innocence in relationships — and no longer being “carefree” • The reality that courts often focus only on the children, not what you endured • The loss of control over your life due to court orders and legal structures • Why taking stock of what you lost is necessary for emotional detachment • The difference between grief and staying stuck in the past Grief is the process that allows you to release what isgone, so it stops defining and controlling your present reality. For autistic women navigating trauma recovery andnarcissistic abuse recovery , grief can feel overwhelming — especially when paired with sensory overload, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. But avoiding grief keeps you: Reactive Attached to the past Emotionally entangled ALL of which will be used against you in family court, in acustody battle. Allowing grief is what makes emotional detachmentcomplete . It is what allows you to: stop chasing things that you can't have back stop bargaining with the past and finally redirect your energy toward your life, your legal battle, and your future As we move toward the final episode of Season 2, this is themoment where everything begins to settle. If this episode feels heavy, take your time with it. Grief is not something you rush. It will hit in waves, if you allow it to. 👉 Follow the show to complete the Season 2 journey 👉Leave a review if this content is helping you move through trauma recovery Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related tonarcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice. Take it one day at a time. We’ll see you next week.
Let’s now learn to let go of what we cannot control, so we can fully focus on what we can. For a survivor of narcissistic abuse, this can feel counterintuitive. And yet it’s a crucial step in performing better in family court. Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This season is a journey from the trauma bond to emotional freedom . So far, we’ve covered trauma recovery through understanding the trauma bond, PTSD and CPTSD, EMDR, forgiveness without reconciliation, codependency, fellowship and mentorship, and gratitude. It was all presented in an ASD-friendly way, for women and single mothers on the spectrum. In this episode, we move into one of the most misunderstood— and most powerful — steps in narcissistic abuse recovery : surrender. In the face of injustice, and of feeling like people are walking all over you, we’re not trying to give up on our goals to protect the kids from harm. Surrender is: letting go of what you cannot control, so you save your energy to fully act on what you can control. For a survivor of narcissistic abuse, this can feel counterintuitive. Over time, through trauma and with underlying codependent traits, you have learned to scan for danger, you’ve lived in the anxiety of anticipating outcomes , and to try and control as much as possible. You're living in a Chinese finger trap But staying in that state keeps you reactive, exhausted, and enmeshed with your coparent. And in high-conflict situations — especially in family court— that can work against you. In this episode, we explore: • The difference between surrender and giving up • Why resisting reality keeps you stuck in reactivity • What you actually need to let go of (control, outcomes, fairness, being understood) • Why surrender is essential for emotional detachment • How surrender regulates the nervous system after trauma • Why clarity and strategy become possible only after letting go • How surrender helps you stop feeding high-conflict dynamics • Why emotional detachment is not emotional disconnection, but control over how you show up For ASD women navigating trauma recovery and narcissistic abuse recovery , surrender is a shift from control and emotional reactions, over to strategy and appropriate responses. Surrender allows you to: * stop negotiating with reality, * stop replaying scenarios and possible outcomes, * stop trying to force outcomes. And instead: focus your energy where you actually have power. Serenity prayer: Lord give me the serenity to accept whatI cannot change, the courage to change what I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference. This is where emotional detachment becomes real. As we approach the end of Season 2, surrender creates thespace for the next and final step: grief — the process of fullyacknowledging what was lost so you can move forward without carrying it. This episode is likely to be a little triggering. That’s whyother influencers don’t talk about this stuff, it’s not sexy. If this episode challenges you, take your time with it., or maybe start a little earlier in Season 2. This episode about surrender, along with grief next week, are the Final Boss :) 👉 Follow the show to continue the full Season 2 journey 👉Leave a 5* review if this content is helping you reach emotional detachment, so more women can find it in their recommendations. Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related tonarcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice. Take it one day at a time. We’ll see you next week. www.lightinthebattle.com
Gratitude is often misunderstood, especially for an autistic survivor of narcissistic abuse . Emotional Detachment as a Tactical Advantage for FamilyCourt — Season 2 Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This season is a journey from the trauma bond toemotional freedom . So far, we’ve covered trauma recovery through understanding the trauma bond , PTSD and CPTSD, EMDR , forgiveness without reconciliation, codependency , and the importance of fellowship and mentorship . In this episode, we move into a stage that can feeluncomfortable — even controversial: gratitude. Gratitude is often misunderstood, especially for a survivorof narcissistic abuse . We're not trying to minimize what happened, justify the abuse, or ignore our legitimate anger and pain. Gratitude only becomes accessible after traumarecovery has begun. If you are still in survival mode, gratitude may feel impossible — and that’s okay. But once emotional detachment starts to take hold, everythingchanges. In this episode, we explore: • Why the brain cannot focus on gratitude and fear at thesame time • How gratitude helps regulate the nervous system after trauma • The difference between denial and genuine gratitude • How gratitude helps break the victim mindset without dismissing reality • Why focusing only on what was lost keeps you emotionally entangled • How gratitude reorients your attention back to what is stable and safe • Why becoming a more grounded, peaceful person changes your relationships • How gratitude increases your capacity as a parent, professional, and decision-maker • Why gratitude becomes possible only after codependency begins to loosen • How gratitude prepares you for the final stages of emotional detachment For autistic women navigating narcissistic abuse recovery ,this step is particularly important. When your nervous system is no longer constantly scanning for danger, you can begin to notice what is working, what is safe, and what is yours. Gratitude is a muscle that you grow, it's not a personality trait that you either have or don't have. It is a practice of redirecting your attention . And over time, it becomes a new way of experiencing life —one that is no longer defined by what happened to you. As we continue Season 2, we are approaching the final stepsof the journey: surrender and grief — where emotional detachment becomes complete. If this episode challenges you, take your time with it.Maybe pick a time where you’re more open to these suggestions. Just stay open, and choose the correcttiming. 👉 Follow the show tocontinue the full Season 2 journey 👉 Leave a review if this content is helping you — it helps reach more autistic women in trauma recovery Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience related tonarcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice. Take this life one day at a time, Mama. We’ll see you next week. www.lightinthebattle.com
This is a low-demand reflexion for women in autistic burnout. We’re not going to try and address our stress, tiredness, or overwhelm as there are a lot of resources about this online. We’re also not going to control our breathing or our body. Zero demands over here. We’re going to address the underserved segment of autistic women in burnout, especially autistic single mothers - that deep, full-body shutdown that feels like our nervous system has nothing left to give, our executive functioning has crapped out, we can’t speak, the sensory sensitivity has become overwhelming, and we can't function beyond taking care of our babies' needs. This standalone, bonus episode is a low-demand, quiet "meditation" that validates ASD Moms going through autistic burnout. This Episode may also help all single moms in burnout. Mom burnout and parental burnout in general can happen, and the nervous system can recover. This "meditation" is one of the tools you can use in your autistic burnout recovery, or in your mom burnout recovery journey. We don’t have to heal in this moment. We don’t have to feel better. This is simply a pause in the Battle. You are welcome to come back as often as you need to. Keywords: PDA, autistic woman, autistic single mom, single mom on the spectrum, woman on the spectrum, autistic burnout, autistic burnout recovery, ASD burnout, meditation, mom in burnout, burnout in single moms, burnout recovery
Community support can provide something that individual trauma recovery work alone cannot: shared understanding, validation, and co-regulation. Episode — Fellowship & Mentorship in Narcissistic Abuse Recovery — Podcasthon Emotional Detachment as a Tactical Advantage for Family Court — Season 2 Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This season is a step-by-step journey from the trauma bond to emotional freedom . Along the way we’ve explored trauma recovery through understanding the trauma bond, working through PTSD and CPTSD, using trauma therapies like EMDR, practicing forgiveness without reconciliation, and breaking patterns of codependency. In this episode we move into the next phase of narcissistic abuse recovery : fellowship and mentorship. Healing from abusive dynamics is extremely difficult to do in isolation. Survivors often leave these relationships with confusion, self-doubt, and lingering trauma responses that make it hard to trust themselves again. Community support can provide something that individual trauma recovery work alone cannot: shared understanding, validation, and co-regulation. For many survivors of narcissistic abuse, finding rooms where people understand these patterns can be life-changing. In this episode, we discuss the importance of recovery communities and introduce the STAR Network (Survivors of Toxic and Abusive Relationships) , an organization that provides support groups, mentorship, and resources for survivors. In the context of Podcasthon week, promoting this organization was a natural fit with where we're at in Season 2: Fellowship & Mentorship as a way of achieving emotional detachment after narcissistic abuse, and in preparation for family court hearings. • Why narcissistic abuse recovery often requires community support • The role of fellowship in trauma recovery • Why survivors of narcissistic abuse often struggle to heal in isolation • How peer support helps rebuild trust in your perception of reality • Why autistic women (ASD) may benefit especially from structured recovery communities • The difference between codependency and healthy fellowship • How mentorship and survivor communities can accelerate healing • Why emotional detachment becomes easier when you are not carrying the recovery journey alone Recovery spaces like TAR Anon meetings offered through the STAR Network , led by Dr. Jamie Huysman , provide opportunities for survivors of narcissistic abuse to connect with others who understand the dynamics of toxic and abusive relationships. For many survivors, these communities reduce shame, provide understanding, and support long-term healing. For autistic women navigating narcissistic abuse recovery , trauma recovery can feel especially complex. ASD traits such as pattern-seeking, deep empathy, and difficulty interpreting manipulative social dynamics can make survivors more vulnerable to codependent patterns. Fellowship and mentorship can help provide perspective, pattern recognition, and emotional support along the way. As we continue Season 2, we will move from fellowship into the next stages of emotional detachment: gratitude, surrender, and grief — the final steps toward emotional freedom. If you are a survivor of narcissistic abuse , remember: recovery does not have to happen alone. 👉 Follow the show to continue the Season 2 journey.👉 Join a TAR Anon meeting ASAP 👉 Leave a review if this episode helped you — it helps this information reach more survivors. Disclaimer: This podcast shares lived experience and perspectives on narcissistic abuse recovery, trauma recovery, autism and ASD. It is not a substitute for professional medical, legal, or mental health advice.
I want to do something a little different in this episode. If you’ve been listening to Season 2 from the beginning, you probably already feel that there’s a progression. We didn’t just randomly move from trauma bonds to EMDR to forgiveness to codependency. There’s a reason the season unfolds the way it does. And if you’re newer here — if you found this podcast somewhere in the middle — you might not realize that Season 2 was intentionally built as a roadmap, for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse. Because healing after narcissistic abuse, trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and identity loss is not random. It has phases, like pit stops. And depending on when you found this podcast, you might be asking yourself: Where am I in this process? Am I at the trauma bond stage, or past it? Am I behind? Should I start at the beginning? Why does this episode resonate but that one makes me so mad? This episode is here to help you orient yourself, and understand how this season is structured. We started with the trauma bond because you can’t rebuild your life if your nervous system is still organized around the person who hurt you. This is the stage where you might still feel pulled toward them. Where you know logically it was harmful, but emotionally you still feel attached. Where you’re confused about why you miss someone who damaged you. Those episodes break down what the trauma bond actually is, how it forms, and how it begins to loosen. If that’s where you are — start there with Episode 15A. Once the trauma bond starts to weaken, something else often shows up more clearly: the nervous system. This is where you might feel dysregulated, anxious, exhausted, reactive, numb, or flooded with emotions. We talk about PTSD . We talk about EMDR . We talk about how trauma is encoded and how it can be reprocessed. This phase is about stabilization. Forgiveness comes next . And it does not mean excusing what happened, giving second chances, nor reconciling . Forgiveness, in this context, is about releasing the chronic emotional charge that keeps you tied to the injury. It only becomes accessible after some stabilization. If you tried to forgive too early and it felt fake or forced — that’s why. This episode sits exactly where it belongs in the roadmap. Once you’re no longer just surviving, you start asking harder questions. Why did I tolerate this? What patterns in me made this possible? Why do I over-accommodate? This is where we move into codependency — what it is, why it forms , and why autistic women in particular are often especially vulnerable to it . Because we’re often deeply attuned, conscientious, and conditioned to overgive and keep relationships smooth. This stage is about reclaiming autonomy. It’s about understanding your wiring so you can rewire it . After stabilization and restructuring comes expansion. Gratitude — understanding that this nonsense happened FOR you. Fellowship and mentorship — including safe, grounded coregulation through the STAR Network . Surrender and grief — the deeper integration work where you release the version of you that survived domestic abuse, as well as all the negativity in your current reality. These phases each become accessible when your nervous system is ready. If you’re still emotionally pulled toward the dysfunctional person, you’re probably in trauma bond work. If you’re physically out but your body still feels unstable, PTSD and stabilization work might be most relevant. If you’re questioning your own relational patterns, you need to understand codepedendency. If you’re beginning to feel stable and asking how to build forward — you’re moving into integration. You fall somewhere on a sequence. And this season was built so that wherever you are, there’s a place to land on a nervous system recovery journey. Please do not force yourself into a phase you’re not ready for. You just have to meet yourself honestly where you are. There is Light in this Battle — at every point.
How do you actually break free from codependency? Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we become clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. This is Part 3 of the Codependency mini-series, within Season 2. If you’re new to this topic, start with: Episode 20 — Codependent traits and behaviors Episode 21 — The link between autism and codependency In this episode, we focus on something hopeful and practical: How do you actually break free from codependency? Because forgiveness alone doesn’t reorient you. Trauma therapy alone doesn’t change identity. And leaving the relationship alone doesn’t remove the pattern. Codependency is not just about who you were with — it’s about who you became in order to survive. And recovery requires a reorientation. The core message of Codependent No More by Melody Beattie Why learning to depend on yourself is foundational How to stop abandoning yourself for others What healthy boundaries actually are (and what they are not) Practicing “no” and sitting with the discomfort The difference between supporting someone and fixing them Why detachment is not withdrawal, resignation, or indifference How to create internal predictability instead of seeking it through chaotic relationships Self-verification: why the autistic brain may cling to familiar dynamics — even painful ones Why joining support groups (like CoDA or other recovery spaces) can help with reorientation How recovery from codependency frees up bandwidth for parenting, work, strategy, and real peace For autistic women especially, letting go of codependency can feel like losing a self-definition. It creates a void. The real question isn’t: “Who am I without them?” It’s: “Who am I without the role that made me feel less like a misfit?” That void is uncomfortable — but it’s where detachment begins. And detachment, in this season, is not emotional coldness. It’s the ability to stop organizing your identity around someone else’s emotional states. That shift is what allows you to: show up calm in court stop sending reactive emails parallel parent strategically raise a non-codependent child engage in healthy relationships going forward Codependency fades when the nervous system learns that stability, worth, predictability, and control can come from within — not from managing external chaos. Later in Season 2, we’ll move into: Mentorship & fellowship Gratitude Surrender Grief All essential steps on the path to full emotional detachment. If this season is challenging you, that’s intentional. Growth is uncomfortable. But the woman you’re becoming is grounded, emotionally safe, and no longer defined by survival. 👉 Follow the show to receive the full Season 2 journey. 👉 Leave a review if this content is helping you. Disclaimer: I am not a medical, legal, or mental health professional. This podcast is based on lived experience. Please consult qualified professionals for guidance specific to your situation. Have courage. You can do this.
Let's continue our deep dive into codependency — why autistic women are particularly vulnerable to codependency, before we think about ways out of codependency. This entire Season is a journey towards emotional detachment, because detaching is essential not only for healing, but for protecting our children and showing up as the stable, credible parent in family court. One of the hardest truths I had to learn is that legal advice doesn’t land when emotions are running high . As long as survivors show up dysregulated — in emails, texts, reports, or in court — they continue to generate material that can be used against them, even when their concerns are valid. Emotional detachment does not mean we stop caring, what it does is it removes the reactivity that you shoot yourself in the foot with, time and time again. DETACH, BABY, DETACH!!! Welcome back to Season 2 of Light in the Battle — a podcast for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, where we get clearer, calmer, and spiritually and legally harder to mess with. So in Season 2, I’m taking you step by step through the journey I personally had to walk to detach completely — without detaching from my child’s wellbeing — and to finally be able to show patterns of behavior, in a way family court cannot ignore. So far this season, we’ve covered: Trauma bonding ( Episode 15 & Episode 16 ) PTSD / CPTSD and EMDR ( Episodes 17 & Episode 18) Forgiveness — and why it does not mean reconciliation ( Episode 19 ) Introducing Codependency - Behaviors and Traits, Episode 20 Now it’s time to talk about codependency IN ASD WOMEN . Recap of the 5 traits & behaviors found in codependents Recap of the 5 more common traits found in austistic people and how much that looks like codependent traits How codependency can develop in autistic women, especially those raised in unstable environments Reminders about the concept of self-verification — and how the autistic brain’s need for predictability can keep codependent dynamics in place How codependency and narcissistic dynamics reinforce each other without blaming survivors of domestic violence Why emotional detachment is key to parallel parenting and raising a non-codependent child This episode draws in part from: Codependent No More, written by Melody Beattie An Interview Of Melody Beattie Research on self-verification (SimplyPsychology.org and publicly available resources on Google) This is Part 2 of the codependency arc. Part 1 has explained the common behaviors & traits of codependent people, and part 3 in Episode 22 will suggest ways to walk the journey of codependency recovery. In upcoming episodes, we’ll move into gratitude, fellowship & mentorship, surrender, and grief — all essential stages on the path to emotional detachment and freedom. 👉 Please follow the show and leave a 5-star review if this season resonates. It helps this content reach other women who need it. Disclaimer: I am not a medical, legal, or mental health professional. This podcast is based on lived experience. Please consult qualified professionals to determine what is appropriate for your situation. Stay with me through this season. It will get uncomfortable for sure. That's the whole point, I'm trying to help you get out of your own way so you can better hear what your lawyer is saying. I’m taking you on a journey, from the day you get out of the dysfunctional dynamic, all the way to emotional freedom. Follow the show so you can get all the episodes of Season 2.
Ranking source
Apple Podcasts rankings via the Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed September 19, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
Apple and Apple Podcasts are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Pairs with
Bring this source into Mato to read its transferable patterns, then turn them into an original show for your own audience.