You're Not Crazy: A Podcast for the Adult Children of Parents with Borderline and Narcissistic Personality Disorders
Torie Wiksell, is no stranger to talking about toxic parents and dysfunctional family dynamics. As a therapist Torie focuses on supporting the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. She also grew up with a mother who had an unmanaged personality disorder and understands the uniquely complicated aspects of these relationships. Torie brings a refreshingly relatable perspective to navigating a complicated relationship with a parent who has BPD or narcissistic traits while instilling hope that things can get better and ensuring her listeners they are not alone. Follow Torie on TikTok: tiktok.com/@cyclebreakertherapist Follow Torie on Instagram: instagram.com/cyclebreakertherapist Learn more about navigating complicated parent relationships and find resources that can help at www.confidentboundaries.com Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy, nor is it a substitute for therapy. If you are in a mental health crisis, please contact the Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. You're Not Crazy is a podcast owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.
Episodes
40 episodes
The Story Behind Why I'm So Passionate About Helping Adults Navigate Their Dysfunctional Family Dynamics (Part One)
>>>Grab my new guide, Surviving Interactions With a Narcissistic, Emotionally Immature, or Otherwise Toxic Parent: confidentboundaries.com/the-guideThis week I'm sharin...
When "I'm Sorry" Doesn't Feel Like a Real Apology
When you grow up with a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder, apologies often function as a way to end the conversation, avoid accountability, or label you as the problem.And like many aspects of...
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 perso...
Feeling Crazy in a Chaotic Family: Why Clarity and Confidence Change Everything
Growing up with a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder or strong narcissistic traits means growing up in chaos. Gaslighting makes you question your reality, walking on eggshells keeps your nervous system on high alert, leaving ...
Am I Mean for Setting Boundaries? Why Taking Care of Yourself Feels Cruel
When you were raised by a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder, you learn early on that keeping the peace and managing your parent's moods is the "kind" thing to do.Your family conflates kindness...
Why You Can't Stop Reacting to a Parent with Narcissistic or Borderline Personality Disorder
You've told yourself that this time you won't let it get to you, and somehow you still leave the conversation feeling defeated and distraught, wondering why you can't just let things go.When you grow up with a narcissistic parent or a pa...
You Can Handle Anything, and That's the Problem: Capacity vs. Capability When You Were Raised by a Toxic Parent
Too many cycle breakers know that moment when your phone lights up with the latest family emergency and you drop everything to try to calm the storm.When you grow up with a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanaged borderline person...
How to Survive Father's Day When You Were Raised by a Toxic Parent
When grow up with a toxic parent, Father's Day isn't an exciting celebration. It's a loaded weekend that sits heavy on your nervous system.And it's why the week leading up to it can leave you feeling completely drained before you even ge...
Stop Explaining Your Boundary to Your Toxic Parent
When you set a boundary with a narcissistic parent, or a parent with unmanaged borderline personality disorder, they tend to push back by acting like they don't get it. They argue, they question whether your boundary is even reasonable, they pu...
Setting the Boundary Is Only Part One: What Most Cycle Breakers Miss
You finally set the boundary and for about five seconds you felt proud of yourself. Then your parent pushed back and wished you could take it all back.When you have a parent with narcissistic or unmanaged borderline personality disorder,...
Gaslighting and Self-Doubt: Why You Can't Trust Yourself When You Were Raised by a Parent with Narcissistic or Borderline Personality Disorder
That moment where your brain short circuits because your parent just looked you dead in the eye and insisted the situation you’re describing never happened at all. When you grow up with a narcissistic parent or a parent with unmanag...
Toxic In-Laws: What to Do When Your Partner Won't Stand Up to Their Family
If you’re dealing with toxic in-laws and feeling unsupported by your partner, this episode is for you.Today we’re talking about one of the most requested topics I’ve avoided covering for a long time: navigating dysfunctional in-law relat...
How to Cope With Mother's Day Hangover When You Have a Mom with Borderline or Narcissistic Traits
That heavy, drained, slightly nauseous feeling you've been carrying around since Sunday? You're not alone.If you grew up with a narcissistic mom or a mom with borderline personality disorder, Mother's Day doesn't simply end when the day ...
Why "I'll Never Lose My Temper Again" Backfires When You're a Cycle Breaker Raised by a Parent with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorder
If you grew up with a parent who has borderline or narcissistic personality disorder, you know what it's like to have a crystal clear picture of what patterns you don’t want to repeat. The problem is that picture doesn't come with i...
How to Survive Mother's Day When You Have a Mom with Borderline or Narcissistic Traits
When you grow up with a narcissistic mom or a mom with borderline personality disorder, Mother's Day hits different. The whole holiday is built on a story that doesn't match your reality, and it can feel like there’s no space for the reality yo...
It's Not Just Your Parent. It's Your Whole Family System.
In this episode, Torie breaks down why dysfunctional families are so resistant to change, what actually happens when you bring new boundaries and skills back into your family, and why the pushback you're experiencing is not a sign you’re doing ...
What It’s Like to Have a Parent with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorder
In this episode, I walk you through:What patterns are common in narcissistic vs. borderline personality disorderWhy the diagnosis itself isn’t what matters mostWhat it feels like to grow up as a child dealing with ...
Breaking the Cycle Is Complicated: Here’s a Roadmap
If you grew up with a parent who had narcissistic or borderline traits, chances are no one ever showed you what being an emotionally healthy adult actually looks like.In this episode, I’m breaking down why healing feels so confusing, mes...
Does Your Parent Mean to Hurt You? Why Intent Doesn’t Matter (and What Actually Does)
When you grow up with an emotionally unpredictable or narcissistic parent, it’s easy to get stuck trying to figure out their intent especially when there were both good and painful moments.In this episode, we’re breaking down why that qu...
Why You Intellectualize Your Feelings (and Why It’s So Hard to Stop)
In this episode, I’m talking about why that happens and why “just feel your feelings” isn’t actually helpful for most people who grew up in chaotic or emotionally unpredictable family environments.When you grow up with a parent who lacks...
Forgiveness Is Overrated: What Actually Helps You Heal from a Toxic Parent
In this episode, we’re talking about:Why forgiveness is often misunderstoodWhy you don’t need to forgive your parent to healHow focusing on forgiveness can actually keep you stuckThe difference between for...
The Basic Needs Cycle Breakers Often Ignore (And How This Wrecks Your Mental Health)
In this episode, we’re going back to the basics and talking about why things like staying hydrated, eating enough, sleeping, and moving your body matter far more for your mental health than most people realize.We cover:• Why cycle...
I Could Win a Gold Medal in Overexplaining Myself: Growing Up With a Narcissistic Parent
When you spend your childhood being misunderstood, projected onto, or told who you are instead of being seen for who you actually are, it makes sense that you carry that fear of being misunderstood into adulthood.In this episode, I talk ...