In this special edition, Ellen welcomes her husband, Paul, on the show to discuss the unique challenges we experience during the holiday season. Paul is also a social worker and presents thought-provoking questions about how we can navigate potentially triggering family interactions as we revisit our "family car" this season. Ellen offers practical ways that we can extend grace and compassion to ourselves and others and how we can make the most of the holidays this year.
Ellen and Paul have an authentic and relatable conversation about how we can feel triggered and regress into old patterns when we spend time with our family of origin—when we are in our old family car.
Paul shares how he tends to regress to thinking and behaving like "the baby" of the family when he is around his brothers. It's a great example of how our programming stays with us throughout our lives.
Ellen explains how our body's response to the old family car dynamics is visceral; our bodies respond before our minds can process what we are thinking or feeling. She shares a simple, practical way that we can ground ourselves in the present moment and remind ourselves that we are safe.
Ellen and Paul discuss how the pandemic has affected our experience of the holidays and our family gatherings along with the idea of creating new rituals while honoring those we have lost.
This episode is full of relatable experiences and practical tools and tips to help us have a joyous holiday season!