Do Coping Skills Actually Work? What Cycle Breakers Need to Know About Healing from Family Trauma

Coping skills and even CBT are getting demonized as shallow fixes that ignore trauma. But they play an important part in healing from the trauma of growing up with a parent who has narcissistic personality disorder or unmanaged borderline personality disorder.

And it's why so many cycle breakers end up skipping the tools that would actually help them get through hard moments of their healing, like setting a boundary or facing a triggering conversation with their parent.

In this episode you'll learn:

• The honest limits of coping skills, including what they can't do
• Accessible options for real-life stressful moments
• What conversations about healing from trauma often get wrong
• How coping skills support you through the harder parts

Ready to go deeper?

The Cycle Breaker's Vault is Torie's self-guided course for the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic traits. It covers dysfunctional family dynamics, boundaries, manipulation, grief, and reconnecting with yourself.

Learn more and get started: confidentboundaries.com/vault

Follow Torie on Instagram: @cyclebreakertherapist

Follow Torie on TikTok: @cyclebreakertherapist

Want the more episodes of You're Not Crazy? Join The Private Feed for access to bonus and ad-free episodes plus the full archive: confidentboundaries.com/private

Free guide: 10 Boundary Mistakes That Keep You Stuck

If your boundaries keep blowing up or leaving you drowning in guilt, it's usually not you. Learn what problems actually get in the way of setting successful boundaries with toxic parents by downloading my free guide: confidentboundaries.com/opt-in

Support the show

A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.

You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.