EP 234: Polyvagal Theory, Hope, Dysregulation, and Repair

Parents aren’t the only ones providing co-regulation — we need it too. In fact, connection is a biological imperative for every nervous system, including yours. When you’re raising kids with big, baffling behaviors, the imbalance in reciprocity can be exhausting, isolating, and even grief-inducing. But here’s the truth: you don’t have to do this alone, and there are real, meaningful ways to find the connection your nervous system longs for.In this episode you’ll learn:Why co-regulation isn’t just for kids — it’s essential for parents tooHow predictability and cues of safety help you know where to find connectionWhy imbalance and grief in parenting make sense — and what to do with themHow communities (even online ones!) can be powerful sources of connection and safetyResources Mentioned on the Podcast:When Connection Isn’t Safe- Oppositional Series Part 3 {EP 158}When Connection Isn’t Safe- Oppositional Series Part 4 {EP 159}Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/biologicalimperativeThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

Your child’s behavior isn’t telling you the whole story. Their behavior is telling you just the story their nervous system is writing in that moment.This week, let’s continue my deep dive into my conversation with Deb Dana (episode 233), exploring how polyvagal theory offers us the hope of rewriting the nervous system story. We’re going to talk about the power of believing our children when they tell us the story of their nervous system and steps we can take to help them rewrite that story (if needed).In this episode, you’ll learn:Why “story follows state” and how this helps us understand our children’s accusations, defensiveness, or “overreactions.”How to resist getting swept into your child’s dysregulation tornado, so you can hold onto compassion (for them and yourself).Practical ways to reframe behavior- like lying, defiance, and opposition- as nervous system responses instead of “badness,” and how that shift helps to rewrite their story…and why that matters. Resources mentioned in this episode:Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/rewritingThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

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}Felt Safety (Outside) {EP 162}Felt Safety (Between) {EP 163}Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/chronicprotectionmodeThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

What if dysregulation isn’t the problem? I know I know- that’s really hard to wrap our brain around! At least, it was for me. In this episode, I continue the conversation from last week’s interview with Deb Dana and take a deeper dive into one of her most powerful insights: that dysregulation is simply part of being human—and it’s the absence of repair that becomes the real challenge.But I think for parents of kids with big, baffling behaviors, we need to pause and explore that a little more. Because- in your home- dysregulation is a real problem!!!In this episode, you’ll learn:Why dysregulation is a natural part of being human, and how polyvagal theory reframes it with compassion and hopeThe difference between dysregulation itself and the behaviors that can emerge from itHow offering repair—even when it isn’t received—can create powerful shifts in your child’s nervous system and in your ownResources mentioned in this podcast:Polyvagal Theory as a Path to Hope: Regulation, Repair, and Connection with guest Deb Dana {EP 233}The Club – my online parent community with resources, events, and connections!!!!The Attachment Series - eBookFree Resource Library Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/polyvagalhopeThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

Polyvagal theory isn’t just a theory- it’s a way of living that can transform how we show up for our kids, ourselves, and everyone around us. I’m SOOOO excited to introduce you to Deb Dana! Together, we explore how understanding our nervous systems brings hope, deepens connection, and makes repair possible even in the messiest moments.In this episode you’ll learn:Why polyvagal theory is truly a theory of hope and how it can reframe your parenting challenges.How to increase cues of safety and decrease cues of danger—for you and your child.The essential role of repair in building connection, even when your child can’t (or won’t) receive it right away.Resources mentioned in this podcast:https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/DebDanaThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

When kids swear, it often feels jarring, disrespectful, or even threatening. But swearing isn’t about defiance or being a bad kid- it’s a clue about the state of your child’s nervous system. Swearing might mean your child is overwhelmed, dysregulated, or struggling to find their real voice. Of course, understanding the behavior isn’t excusing the behavior. BUT! When we understand where the behavior is coming from, we get much better and more effective ideas about how to address it.In this episode, we explore what’s really going on beneath the swearing, why it might be possible to consider that swearing isn’t inherently bad, and how parents can respond in ways that build regulation, connection, and felt safety.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why your own reaction to swearing is the first thing to explore, and how to regulate through itWhat swearing might really be communicating, including pain, overwhelm, or a need for controlHow to scaffold emotional expression so your child learns to use their real voice instead of cussing Resources mentioned in this podcast:Regulated Does Not Equal Calm {EP 31}Boundaries with Connection Part 1 of 3 {EP 111}Boundaries With Verbal Aggression with Juliane Taylor Shore {EP 115}How I've Strengthened my Psychological Boundaries {EP 117}Match The Energy, NOT the Dysregulation {EP 155}Read the full transcript at:RobynGobbel.com/swearingThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

I’m so excited to introduce you to someone who has deeply influenced my work- Deb Wesselmann! Deb is a pioneer in integrating EMDR therapy with family therapy for children with early attachment trauma. In this episode, we chat about how Deb (and her colleagues) developed her attachment-focused EMDR model, why slow bilateral stimulation is so effective for complex trauma, and what it really means to create a secure holding environment for both kids and their parents. We also talk about the importance of therapists and other helpers doing their own work in therapy.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why Deb’s model of attachment-focused EMDR has transformed how we support children with early traumaThe importance of helping both parents and children process trauma for lasting healingHow bilateral stimulation, safety, and co-regulation come together in this powerful family therapy modeResources mentioned in this podcast:Learn more about Deb Wesselmann and her work: https://debrawesselmann.com/Register for Deb's upcoming online training in Attachment-Focused EMDR: https://debrawesselmann.com/#emdr-therapyStay tuned for Deb and Christine Mark-Griffin’s upcoming EMDR workbook for kids, releasing in 2026!Learn more about EMDR Therapy: https://www.emdria.orgRead the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/emdrfamilytherapyThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) isn’t about being overly sensitive. It’s about a nervous system that experiences rejection as danger. In this episode, I explore RSD through the lens of relational neuroscience, attachment, memory, and regulation. Whether you see this in yourself or your child, this episode will help you understand why rejection feels so big, and what actually helps.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why RSD reactions are so intense and how they’re rooted in memory and nervous system statesHow attachment experiences shape our sensitivity to rejectionWhat actually helps when RSD shows up (for you or your child), including co-regulation and self-compassionResources mentioned in this podcast:Trauma, Memory, & Behavior: Part 1 {EP 90}The Neurobiology of Toxic Shame {EP 119}1% Better Is Enough. {EP 166}All Behavior Makes Sense {EP 198}Read the full transcript at:RobynGobbel.com/rejectivesensitivityThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

Healing comes in all forms, including on farms, with horses, and of course, in relationship. My guest this week, Sara Sherman, is a graduate of the Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s Professional Immersion Program and the founder of Dandelion NeuroRelational Family Services in Minnesota. Sara and I have a delightful chat about what it means to bring relational healing to kids and families and how we can (and must!) think outside the box.Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/neurorelationalThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

{Replay of Episode 169 from March 2024} Parenting with co-regulating and seeing below our kids behaviors is actually a privilege we rarely talk about. It’s always a privilege, but especially when we consider different marginalized and oppressed identities that a lot of kids- and those of you listening- intersectionally hold. In this episode, you’ll learnThe definition of privilege (it is NOT a criticism)The privilege of safety for folks with histories of traumaThe privilege of safety for folks with other marginalized and oppressed identitiesHow this relates to parenting Resources mentioned in this podcast:Mr. Chazz https://www.mrchazz.com/https://www.instagram.com/mrchazz/Yolanda Williams & Parenting Decolonizedhttps://www.instagram.com/prntgdcolonized/What Happened to You? By Bruce Perry & Oprah WinfreyRead the full transcript at:RobynGobbel.com/privilegeThe Club is welcoming new members now until Friday!Head to RobynGobbel.com/TheClub for details and to join us!::: :::Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/bookJoin us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClubApply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/ImmersionFollow Me On:FacebookInstagram Over on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)