EP 235: Parenting in Chronic Protection Mode

Parenting kids with vulnerable nervous systems often means that parents and caregivers are living in a state of chronic chaos and danger. Even if the behaviors aren’t ‘that bad,’ it’s dysregulating to live with someone in chronic protection mode.
In this episode, I take a closer look at how polyvagal theory helps us understand the nervous system’s longing for safety—even when life feels overwhelming—and how parents can increase cues of safety even in the midst of ongoing stress.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why neuroception continuously scans for cues of safety and danger, and how that shapes whether we live in connection or protection mode.
• How to use the “inside, outside, between” framework to notice and intentionally increase cues of safety in daily life.
• The hopeful truth that cues of safety from relationships, pets, and nature can eventually be internalized—giving us safety that lives within us, always.

Resources mentioned in this podcast:
• Felt Safety (Inside) {EP 161} (robyngobbel.com/feltsafetyinside)
• Felt Safety (Outside) {EP 162} (robyngobbel.com/feltsafetyoutside)
• Felt Safety (Between) {EP 163} (robyngobbel.com/feltsafetybetween)

Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/chronicprotectionmode (robyngobbel.com/chronicprotectionmode)

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