Have you ever tried to talk your neurodivergent child through a big feeling and just hit a wall? Same. In this episode I sat down with Katherine, a neuro-affirming counsellor and craniosacral therapist, to talk about why words are not always the way in, and what to reach for instead. We start somewhere that might gently rearrange how you think about feelings. You know the “name it to tame it” idea? Katherine reminds us that naming a feeling is actually the last step, not the first. For so many neurodivergent and highly sensitive kids, the felt experience in the body comes long before the words, and honestly our language is too small to hold all of it. She also says something I have been shouting about for years: we are not meant to tell our kids how they feel. Instead of “I see you’re sad,” we can get down on their level and ask, what is happening in your body? What do you notice in your heart, your tummy, your feet? Is there a colour for this? An animal? A character? For the kids who love to get into character, this can open a door that “use your words” never could. We get into the vagus nerve too (yes, I am obsessed, and no, you are not crazy for finding it fascinating). Katherine breaks down how our nervous system is constantly scanning for safety, why co-regulation matters so much, and why she is not a fan of the word “regulation” at all. A lot of what gets called regulation, she says, is really just asking our kids to keep their feelings in and perform calm for the world. And then there is the part for you, mama. Because you are co-regulating everyone in your house, often while running on empty. Katherine shares simple ways to come back to your own body so you can respond instead of react, and she even guides us through a short somatic exercise called the salamander (from Stanley Rosenberg’s book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve). It takes a couple of minutes, and I felt the shift in real time. A gentle note before you listen: Katherine is sharing from her own training and experience as a counsellor and craniosacral therapist, so think of everything here as encouragement and ideas rather than a prescription. You know your family best, so take what fits and loop in your own care team or practitioner for anything specific to you or your child. If you have ever felt like the talk-it-out approach just is not landing, this one is for you. Come listen, take a breath, and remember you are not doing any of this alone. GUEST LINKS: Grab some great resources by Katherine here GET THE LINKS The Unfinished Idea Website Join the Unfinished Community Exhasuted to Empowered Follow me on socials: INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
