When the Bough Breaks (WTBB) is a talk-show podcast for those who find themselves estranged from one or more family members. Guests call in the show to discuss events leading up to their estrangement while sharing resources that will help you cope! Guests include psychologists, family counselors, life coaches, writers and more! Show host, cult survivor and author, Alexis Arralynn is one of the few podcasters willing to tackle this difficult and often painful topic of estrangement. Estranged from…
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Angie Hawkins joins Alexis Arralynn to share how growing up with emotionally unavailable, controlling, and critical parents shaped her into a lifelong people pleaser. The conversation follows her path from childhood shame and anorexia to adulthood boundaries, her father's death, and the estrangement from her mother that ultimately helped her protect her mental health.This episode matters because…
In This Episode, We Cover: What PTSD nightmares really are (and what they are not) Why nightmares are repetitive, immersive, and fully sensory How the nervous system uses dreams as survival drills The physical and cognitive toll of years of disrupted sleep Why nightmares don’t fade—they end when danger ends How going no-contact and leaving abusive systems changes the brain What happens to dreams…
CPTSD: The Ultimate Time Loop (and the Starship That Keeps Exploding) Living with complex trauma can feel like being trapped in a time loop. Not a memory—but many of them. All active. All urgent. All happening now. In this solo episode, Alexis explores CPTSD through an unexpected but painfully accurate lens: a classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where the Enterprise keeps exploding—over…
Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood—and most weaponized—concepts trauma survivors are taught to accept without question. In this solo episode of When the Bough Breaks , Alexis dismantles forgiveness from every angle: the dictionary definition, the religious mandate, the mainstream self-help narrative, and what forgiveness actually looks like when you’ve survived abuse, neglect,…
Some families don’t just keep secrets—they assign children the responsibility of protecting them. In this episode of our series Healing for the Holidays, Alexis explores the often-unnamed role of the dark secret keeper in narcissistic households: the child who is expected to know what happened, never speak about it, never grieve it, and carry it quietly into adulthood. Through personal…
When Grief Becomes a Weapon Chances are, you’ve probably lived this every holiday—just never had a name for it. In this cheeky solo episode, Alexis breaks down annual family trauma rituals, how to spot them in real time, and how to cope. Stay tuned. Part of our Healing for the Holidays series #grief #depression #healing #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #familyestrangement #trauma #ptsd #estrangement…
Grief and depression are often treated as the same thing—but they’re not. And confusing the two can leave people feeling broken, misdiagnosed, or deeply misunderstood. In this special Christmas Eve “Healing for the Holidays” episode of When the Bough Breaks, Alexis explores the nuanced differences between grief and depression, where they overlap, and why so many people struggle to name what…
On this episode of When the Bough Breaks Podcast, we get a very special visit from the doc himself, Dr. Robb Kelly (As seen on TV!) But he didn't get his double PHD until after struggling with his own addiction which led to his estrangement. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse ,you don't want to miss this episode. Send us Fan Mail Support the show
Special guest Eli Honeycutt of OdysseyLifeAdventures shares his experience growing up Jehovah's Witness while coming to terms with his sexuality and the estrangement following his separation from the cult. Send us Fan Mail Support the show
Coach, author and speaker Janice Selbie shares her experience of divorcing her religion and the family estrangement that soon followed. https://www.divorcing-religion.com/ https://www.shamelesssexuality.org/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhyTXTIM9kdTJ1jW-Ckb5g People can write to Janice at Janice@divorcing-religion.com Her book entitled Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook…