The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}

I was so excited to listen to this podcast as it came recommended to me by my child’s therapist and I could barely sit through two episodes first of all because she just repeats herself unendingly, because she doesn’t have a calm rhythm of delivery, and she’s constantly interrupting herself with unnecessary rabbit trails. I wish my stream of the past could erase the time that I spent listening to this horrifying podcast. She talks about how she has examples or things you can apply and never actually gets into the meat of what those things are so it feels like a giant rage bait or a pay to play situation where you have to order the book, be in the club, or jump some other random hoop, all of which I’m not interested in doing because my nervous system doesn’t feel safe giving that to her because she has not created an environment of openness and safety. Instead, it’s just this triggering stream of mouth noises and promises that she never delivers. In fact, she had the nerve in one of the episodes to promise a solution to which she had not yet figured out the solution, but if we join the club, she will have figured out the solution and will give it to us there. Oh, and cherry on top, the club isn’t open all the time. Even if I wanted to join the club, I can only do it on specific times again, not creating an environment of safety, but trying to create an environment of scarcity and fear.

I gave this podcast several chances because it came highly recommended by a dear friend, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I found the overall tone very condescending and the pacing painfully slow I constantly felt like I wanted to speed it up. The tonality and delivery were honestly like nails on a chalkboard for me, which made it difficult to stay engaged. More importantly, as a parent, I didn’t walk away feeling like I had gained anything particularly useful or applicable to everyday parenting. I noticed that many of the positive reviews seem to come from fellow professionals or therapists, so perhaps it resonates more within that community. But strictly from a parent’s perspective, I didn’t find it helpful or relatable.

We are exhausted with professionals who are clueless about the nervous system. Thank you so much for all your content, information, and expertise. We know you’re right because it works. If only every practitioner who worked with any child knew this information, so many children and families would not have to struggle like ours has thank you so much.

This has not been all brand new info because I have been parenting a kiddo with special needs for many years. However, Dr. Gobbel put language to the things I had learned about parenting. She validated my feelings and approach and gives real strategies. Most of all she offers empathy for me and empathy that is based on true understanding of what I’m going through. No false sense of “fixing” anything because hopefully we have learned there’s nothing to fix, but a way of navigating life, showing compassion to my child and allowing them to feel safe and secure which DOES improve our lives. Thank you Dr. Gobbel! You said once that no one is coming to save you and I felt that so deeply. And having more radical acceptance of our reality means a better relationship with my child and less dysregulation for myself.