Beyond Survival - The Therapy Podcast with Katie McKenna

• How do I let go of all the rage?

  This week a listener asks a question: How do I let go of all the rage? After years of no contact with her abusive family, she’s exhausted by how much power the past still has over her present. She doesn’t want revenge or empty apologies - she just wants peace. But how do you move forward when there will never be justice? In this episode, we explore what rage really is beneath the surface, why it can feel impossible to release, and how to begin freeing yourself from its grip so you can finally start living for you.Follow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on TikTokFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on InstagramFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on YouTubewww.callaghancounselling.ieBEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

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• Living on High Alert (S2 E9)

  This week, I read a letter from a listener who’s been no contact with her mother for two years - but still feels like she’s living with her shadow.Every bark of the dog, every knock at the door, sends her body into high alert. Even something as simple as checking the mailbox feels dangerous. Myself and Dr. Ruth Callaghan will explore what it’s like when no contact doesn’t bring peace, and how our nervous system can become stuck in fight/flight  -  especially when the person we’re protecting ourselves from once felt impossible to escape.Follow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on TikTokFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on InstagramFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on YouTubewww.callaghancounselling.ieBEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

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• The Trap (S2 E8)

  Question - "I'm never going to find her easy but how do I regulate after exposure to her?"In this episode, we hear from a listener - an only child - who has spent a lifetime navigating exhaustion, guilt, and confusion in her relationship with her aging mother.Her mother calls her “my everything,” professes deep love, yet never asks about her life or family. Instead, she elicits promises, plays the victim, uses guilt to control, and bends the truth to suit her narrative.For this listener, going no contact isn’t an option. So she’s learning to hold firmer boundaries — limiting visits, stepping back from constant caretaking, and seeing the manipulation for what it is — but still battles the heavy weight of guilt and self-doubt: “Am I being too harsh?”With growing self-awareness and hard-won clarity, she asks a powerful question: "How do I regulate better when with her - and after?"Together, Ruth and I explore how to stay grounded in contact with a narcissistic parent, how to recover from the emotional crash afterward, and how true healing often means redefining love, responsibility, and self-worth on your own terms.Follow Dr. Callaghan on TikTokFollow Dr. Callaghan on InstagramFollow Dr. Callaghan on YouTubewww.callaghancounselling.ieBEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

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• When a Mother Can’t Let Go (S2 E7)

  This week, we read a powerful letter from a listener whoasks myself and Dr. Ruth Callaghan the question: "How do I decide whether or not to go no contact? I can't seem to spend time with them that doesn't involve drama?"The listener describes growing up with a mum who seemed caring on the surface — "never shouting, just nagging, crying and hounding me, until she gets her own way" — and a dad who told her to “keep the peace.” Now, as a mother herself, every attempt to set a healthy boundary is met with guilt, tears, and emotional pressure.In this episode, we explore what it’s like when love comes with strings attached, how emotional manipulation can hide behind the illusion of softness, and the painful process of deciding whether connection is still possible — or whether protecting yourself means finally walking away.Follow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on TikTokFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on InstagramFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on YouTubewww.callaghancounselling.ieBEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

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• Learning to Trust Love (S2 Ep6)

  Trigger Warning: Sexual AbuseQ "What I’m currently struggling with is this pattern I have where if there is a pause in our physical intimacy due to life stress or other circumstances I feel incredibly afraid and triggered into feeling worthless and think our relationship is doomed."In this deeply moving episode, we explore the lasting impact of childhood trauma on even the healthiest adult relationships. A listener grew up with a covertly narcissistic mother, being placed in the “gilded child” role, and enduring emotional enmeshment and covert sexual abuse. After confronting her past and investing in recovery, she finds herself triggered by fears of abandonment and worthlessness whenever intimacy shifts in her relationship. Together Ruth and I unpack how childhood wounds can resurface in adult partnerships, why healing can feel like a maze, and what tangible, actionable, steps can help move from old patterns of survival into deeper connection and trust.Follow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on InstagramFollow Dr. Ruth Callaghan on TikTokwww.callaghancounselling.ieYouTube Dr. Ruth CallaghanBEYOND SURVIVAL - The Therapy Podcast

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