Posts by Victoria Albina

Many of us engage in the ritual of New Year’s resolutions without really questioning it. It’s just what we do, right? However, while some love using the concept of a clean slate at the start of a new year to recommit to their goals, others unwittingly use it to shame and blame themselves. As always,…

We are smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season, which for many of us means time with family. Whether you’re with your family of origin, your partner’s family, or your chosen family, there’s one thing families are known for doing: pushing our buttons. To help you navigate the holidays with more acceptance and ease…

We’ve had quite the foray into the topic of functional freeze, also known as somatic disconnection. We’ve spent a few episodes diving into what it is, real-life stories of how it came to be this way, and how to shift it, and I’ve since heard from several people who have requested I explore what happens…

This week, you’re hearing a conversation about interdependence and the practice of connecting with ritual through the ages. My guest is Jaguar Mary X: a glossolalia vocalist, ritual performance artist and mover, and creator of Midday and Midnight Medicine Journey, who is making work informed by queer and Black feminist discourse, afro-futurisms, plant sentience, and…

Turkey Day is upon us once again, which means food, weight, and diet talk is about to become rife. This is a time when people feel they have free rein to comment on how we look and what we’re eating or not eating, which can be particularly challenging for those of us with emotional outsourcing…

Functional freeze is a very painful nervous system experience familiar to those of us living in emotional outsourcing. In the first two episodes of this series, we’ve looked at the how and why of functional freeze, as well as real-life experiences that can lead to functional freeze. Even though the mixed nervous system state of…

Last week, we began a vital conversation about the mixed nervous system state of functional freeze. We defined it, talked about what it looks like in practice, and learned that it’s a super common experience for those of us prone to emotional outsourcing. This week in part two, we’re asking the question: how did it…

This week, we’re taking a deep dive into a topic I can’t believe I haven’t already discussed on the show! The nervous system state of functional freeze, which I also like to call somatic self-disconnection, is what I’m most passionate about in my work. It’s part and parcel of the emotional outsourcing experience. So what…

The main driver of my work is to help those of us who identify with codependent, perfectionist, and people-pleasing tendencies move past blame, shame, guilt, and the stigma of having these ways of being in the world. It’s normal and natural to beat ourselves up for having these thought habits. However, it’s a painful path…