When “Home for the Holidays” Doesn’t Feel Safe: Mother Wound Therapy in Falls Church, VA for Adult Children of Critical Parents
Why Your Whole Body Dreads Going Home to Your Family
There is a part of you that wants to be with family during the holidays and a part of you that simply doesn’t. And they are warring with one another. The battle is tearing you up inside and shaming you.
Your family brings a lot of “shoulds” and obligations to you: you feel like you “should” spend time with them. You “should” enjoy their company. You “should” be perfectly nice to them all throughout the time you spend together, and holiday stress.
But when your family time and interactions come with complex histories, with your body remembering humiliation, shame, and emotional abuse? Well, then, in the present, you may also be dreading family time. Your body is signaling to you that it is entering a space where it is scared…but it also is unsure of how to manage that fear. What’s going on when fear and danger show up? We discuss how to navigate these emotions in childhood trauma therapy, especially in mother wound therapy.
You Try To Avoid Thinking About it…But That’s the Problem
Seeing your family (especially your mom) is so uncomfortable that you avoid thinking about it, but your discomfort (aka anxiety) keeps getting bigger and bigger the more you don’t sit with it. And then, when it all comes to face you around family who may be fine one moment, then unpredictably critical and hurtful the next, you lash out from a place of intense reactivity. You are hurt, and by the time it is all said and done, the lashing out has turned into a big conflict. And the blame has been pinned on you. You are left feeling saddled with enormous guilt. Trauma therapy with a childhood trauma therapist can help navigate having critical parents in adulthood.
How Mother Wound Therapy Helps You Address Tough Family Dynamics
When it comes to managing your emotions around your emotionally immature mom and other family members who have been hurtful and harmful, it all comes down to dealing with triggers of the past and how you respond to them in the present. As a child, you did not have a caregiver present to help you navigate moments of hurt, guilt, shame, fear, terror, and anger, so when those feelings come up now, they overwhelm you. In childhood trauma therapy at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we look at how your body and nervous system react and what your system needs to feel safe as an adult. We work to support the adult you access confidence and capability and grounding. Using the help of Internal Family Systems Therapy (a trauma-focused tool), we build your skills in feeling safe and grounded in the present and respond (rather than react) from a place of wisdom and self-love. This is also known as reparenting.
Navigate Holiday Stress with Mother Wound Therapy in Falls Church, VA
Alice Zic, MPH, LCSW | Trauma Therapist & Founder of Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, LLC
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we provide warm, trauma-informed care designed to help you restore your sense of safety, reconnect with your inner resilience, and remember the parts of yourself that feel lost.
Here’s how to get started:
Click below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation call.
Complete the short pre-consultation questionnaire.
Meet with compassionate trauma therapist Alice Zic to explore what support you’re looking for.
Begin your path toward healing the wounds of childhood through specialized childhood trauma therapy.
Compassionate In-Person Care in New Orleans, LA
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we provide in-person therapy sessions every Tuesday and Wednesday in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you live in the Greater New Orleans area and are seeking support for childhood trauma, the impact of an emotionally immature mother, or anxiety treatment for your teen, our Mid-City office offers a welcoming and convenient space to start your healing process.
Virtual Trauma Therapy Services Across Virginia
Online therapy can be a powerful and accessible way to begin healing from childhood trauma. As a Virginia-licensed therapist, I’m able to support clients living anywhere within the state. With a quiet space, a stable internet connection, and your preferred device, you can easily engage in therapy from home. No commuting or traffic to worry about. It’s a straightforward, comfortable way to start. Schedule your free consultation call below:
Comprehensive Online Therapy Across CT, VA & LA
In addition to childhood trauma support, Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy provides virtual sessions for teen anxiety in CT, VA, and LA, along with in-person appointments in New Orleans. Whether you’re navigating the effects of parentification, supporting a teen who feels emotionally overloaded, or working through the wounds of childhood trauma, we offer a warm, nonjudgmental environment for healing, accessible to clients across Connecticut, Virginia, and Louisiana.
Meet Alice: An IFS-Informed Trauma Therapist
Alice Zic is a licensed clinical social worker based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She offers virtual therapy to clients in Louisiana, Connecticut, and Virginia, as well as in-person sessions in New Orleans. Alice specializes in supporting women who grew up with perfectionism, mother wounds, or unresolved childhood trauma, helping them step into a more grounded and empowered adulthood.
Her work is rooted in attachment theory, and she is trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach that helps clients heal both the mind and body while gently reparenting their hurt, critical, or protective parts.