The Family Brain with Megan Gipson

Megan Gipson
The Family Brain with Megan Gipson

The Family Brain is a podcast dedicated to the glorious and messy world of family life and mental health. Megan Gipson is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Austin Texas.

  1. 02/14/2023

    IFS and Connecting to True Self with Kelly Coulter

    Episode 108 IFS and Connecting to True Self with Kelly Coulter, PLLC In this episode: I talk with Kelly Coulter about her use of the IFS (Internal Family Systems) framework to support clients in her private practice in Austin Texas. The IFS framework was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz and acknowledges the multiple selves within an individual. This does not mean that someone has multiple personalities, but rather that within each of us we have different parts and in working with those parts we can better connect with our true selves.  If this sounds confusing, take a listen to this episode and Kelly explains the basics of IFS and how this way of thinking about ourselves can help us better understanding ourselves.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform   Quote “We want to be able to observe our parts. What I love about IFS is we want you to embrace those parts and approach them with compassion.” Kelly Coulter PLLC In this episode, we cover: ●     How traumatic wounds create disconnection from self. ●     How our parts create a way to manage this shame and distress. ●     The 8 Cs that are components of Self. ●     What are managers and fire fighters? ●     What are exiles, protectors, or the self-critic ●     How mapping parts can help explore how you are functioning. Learn more about Kelly Coulter, PLLC: ·     Kelly Coulter Therapy   Resources discussed: ●     Book "No Bad Parts" Connect with The Family Brain: ●     Megan Gipson’s Website ●     The Family Brain Podcast ●     a...

    43 min
  2. 01/24/2023

    Healing From Narcissistic Abuse and Complex Trauma with Ingrid Clayton PHD

    Episode 107: Healing from Narcissistic Abuse and Complex Trauma with Ingrid Clayton PHD Ingrid Clayton’s new memoir “Believing Me, Healing from Narcissistic Abuse and Complex Trauma” details her childhood experiences that as an adult she came to understand as complex trauma and relational abuse. As a therapist, Ingrid shares her own story and sheds light on the similar feelings and coping strategies that spring from childhood abuse.    In this episode: Ingrid talks about the process of writing her memoir and how important it was for her for the book to be a memoir, so that her story could help others who may have had similar experiences not feel so alone. We talk about how complex trauma is rooted in relational abuse and how emotional abuse can be harder to name that something like physical abuse that may leave a mark. Her book gives language to this type of abuse that happens within families.  Children can often blame themselves for abuse because they are dependent on their caregivers to survive. The body and mind of a child may blame themselves as a protection because acknowledging an unsafe caregiver can feel even worse.  We talk about the use of gaslighting to make children and adults question their own memories of experiences, and how that takes root in the nervous system. Gaslighting was the word of the year in the Websters dictionary for 2022, so that suggests that emotional abuse is becoming more understood and discussed. The World Health Organization has made CPTSD Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and official diagnosis, but it is still not a part of the DSM in the United States meaning that it is not a recognized diagnostic code.  We talk about how trauma lives in the body and how that can make it hard to identify through thinking about it. It lives on a subconscious level. The body creates coping strategies and does what it was designed to do which is keep you safe. However, once the abusive situation is no longer a threat, those coping strategies can show up in situations and in relationships that cause distress and do not serve you any longer. We talk about the various therapeutic modalities that can be used to treat CPTSD and how curiosity is the key in each one.  Ingird shares that through the process of putting this book out into the world, she has discovered that her experiences are heartbreakingly more common than she realized, and through that she has discovered a community of survivors.   Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform  Quote “Maybe I had to become my own therapist, and that is both magical and...

    37 min
  3. 01/10/2023

    Money and Love with Abby Davisson

    Episode 106: Money and Love with Abby Davisson Abby Davisson is the co-author of the new release Money and Love, An Intelligent Road Map For Life’s Biggest Decisions. In our conversation, Abby explains The 5Cs, a framework she learned as a student at Stanford Business School, that serves as a research based guide in navigating big life choices. We talk about how money and love are intertwined, and how often in the decision-making process we can lose sight of this. If you ever wished Google would answer some of these big life questions for you, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.    In this episode: We talk about how the 5Cs were a revelation to Abby as a graduate student, and how Abby along with her coauthor Myra Strober, who was the Stanford professor she took this class from, wanted to share the framework outside of higher education to help more people navigate these complicated life choices.  The 5Cs are…drum roll…   1.     Clarify what is important to you: to make an effective decision you must first understand what you truly want and what you don’t 2.    Communicate: as you clarify what you want, open a two-way dialogue with others involved in the decision 3.    Consider a Broad Range of Choices: few decisions are strictly either/or, and one key to better decision-making is broadening your alternatives 4.    Check in with Friends, Family, and Other Resources, sharing your thought process or reaching out to others can bring new insights 5.    Consequences: weigh the short-term and long -term consequences of different choices before you make a final decision.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform   Quote: “Everyone deserves the resources and skills to enjoy both love and money.” Abby Davisson   In this episode, we cover: ●     How life choices are constantly evolving ●     How the change in gender roles and family structure has changed ●     Why big life choices feel overwhelming ●     How to approach a partner to engage in the process ●     The benefits of slowing down to make more deliberate choices   Learn more about Abby Davisson and Money and Love: a href="https://www.moneylovebook.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    41 min
4.9
out of 5
70 Ratings

About

The Family Brain is a podcast dedicated to the glorious and messy world of family life and mental health. Megan Gipson is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Austin Texas.

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