The Agony Aunties delve into the complexities of preverbal trauma, explaining why it is difficult to process such trauma and how it affects the body and brain. Through a detailed example of a young child who suffered early neglect, the discussion highlights how trauma manifests and persists beyond early childhood. They give their insights on therapeutic approaches like EMDR, sensory regulation, and the importance of co-regulation. Additional resources from experts like Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, Bruce Perry, and the concept of the polyvagal system are recommended for deeper understanding. The episode underscores the importance of patience, self-compassion, and the development of a sensory toolbox for trauma survivors.
Additional Resources:
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk – A groundbreaking book on how trauma is stored in the body and how we can begin to heal.
Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine – Learn more about Peter Levine’s body-based approach to resolving trauma.
What Happened to You? by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey – A compassionate, neuroscience-based look at childhood trauma and healing.
Please subscribe and leave a review—it truly makes all the difference! Follow Julia at @juliasamuelmbe for more insights, tips, and conversations on life's challenges and how to improve your mental well-being.
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15:22
Expert Episode: Helping Your Children Develop Resilience with Dr. Henry Venter
In this expert-led episode, Emily Samuel is joined by Dr Henry Venter to explore the vital role resilience plays in a child’s development. Together, they delve into the tools, habits, and parenting strategies that help children adapt to challenges, manage emotions, and build inner strength in an ever-changing world.Whether your child is navigating friendship struggles, academic stress, or emotional setbacks, this conversation offers accessible insights to help them thrive.
Find more on Dr Venter: https://www.nu.edu/degrees/social-sciences/faculty/dr-henry-venter/
Please subscribe and leave a review—it truly makes all the difference! Follow Julia at @juliasamuelmbe for more insights, tips, and conversations on life's challenges and how to improve your mental well-being.
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34:35
Agony Aunties on Talking to Children About a Terminal Diagnosis
In this episode, the Agony Aunties address a heart-wrenching question from a listener facing a terminal diagnosis. They offer invaluable advice on how to communicate this devastating news to teenage children without causing unnecessary fear or resorting to dishonesty. They emphasise the importance of honesty and ongoing dialogue, suggest starting the conversation by asking the children what they already understand about the illness, and provide strategies to help manage the emotional burden for both the parent and the children. They also discuss the benefits of using supportive resources from organisations like Child Bereavement UK and Macmillan, and the option of preparing messages and videos for future milestones in the child's life. The discussion concludes with advice on engaging schools and other family members for additional support.
Support links:
Macmillan Cancer Support: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/
Child Bereavement UK: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
Please subscribe and leave a review—it truly makes all the difference! Follow Julia at @juliasamuelmbe for more insights, tips, and conversations on life's challenges and how to improve your mental well-being.
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18:44
Live from Curious Minds Festival: Unpacking Family, Conflict & Connection
In this special live-recorded episode of Therapy Works, we explore the often unspoken patterns that shape our families — and ourselves.
Whether you're navigating sibling tensions, generational expectations, or a long-standing rupture with a parent, this conversation offers powerful insight into how family systems operate, why we fall into certain roles, and how healing truly begins.
Note: As this was recorded live, the audio isn’t perfect — but the rawness adds to the realness!
You’ll hear real-life therapy sessions unfold in real time — including a moving segment on estrangement — revealing just how much our early environments impact our adult relationships, self-worth, and sense of belonging.
What we explore in this episode:
Why understanding the family system matters more than focusing on one person’s behaviour
How unresolved trauma can silently pass through generations
What happens when a family faces unexpected change
The difference between rupture and repair — and why both are inevitable
Why communication breaks down, and how to rebuild it with clarity and compassion
How to navigate the tension between love, resentment, and loyalty
With stories, therapeutic insight, and deeply human moments, this episode is for anyone trying to make sense of where they come from — and how to break free from cycles that no longer serve them.
Highlights:
01:57 – How families react to change
03:58 – Parenting under pressure
05:33 – Tools for breaking family patterns
21:31 – Live therapy: Joe’s estrangement story
36:17 – How revelations shape identity
43:15 – Compassion vs. resentment: finding the balance
48:32 – Q&A and closing reflections
Find out more about Curious Minds Festival: https://www.batharts.co.uk/curious-minds
This is a paid advertisement by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/therapyworks and get on your way to being your best self.
Please subscribe and leave a review—it truly makes all the difference! Follow Julia at @juliasamuelmbe for more insights, tips, and conversations on life's challenges and how to improve your mental well-being.
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1:19:49
Agony Aunties on the Pressure to "Have It All Figured Out"
In this episode, the Agony Aunties address a common concern among individuals in their mid-thirties who feel overwhelmed by life's big decisions, especially regarding having children. The discussion dismantles the false narrative of a linear path to success, emphasises the importance of self-awareness, and offers insights into managing societal pressures and personal expectations. The episode also touches on the significance of recognising real time boundaries for biological factors, broadening one's concept of family, cultivating curiosity about one's true desires, and the benefit of therapy in understanding personal choices.Please subscribe and leave a review—it truly makes all the difference!
Follow Julia at @juliasamuelmbe for more insights, tips, and conversations on life's challenges and how to improve your mental well-being.
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Bestselling author and psychotherapist, Julia Samuel, invites us into her therapy room as she talks to both known and unknown voices about some of life’s biggest challenges.
Therapy Works is full of therapeutic conversations which may contain difficult emotions but those that can paradoxically bring light, in all its form.
Listeners will hear what the guests have learnt, failed to learn and how they have grown through their experience. At the end of each episode, Julia reflects on her session with her two psychotherapist daughters who will share their thoughts on the conversation. You’ll quickly discover that not all therapists agree on everything!
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UK