Critical Memory Integration: Unlocking the Body’s Wisdom for Healing Trauma with Estefana Johnson
Release Date: 10/04/2025
The Loneliness of Parenting: Why You Can’t Do It Alone
Authentic Parenting
on the significance of social connection—friendships, community, and creating your village. Connection isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. It’s one of the most powerful antidotes we have to stress, burnout, and loneliness. And yet, it’s often the very thing that gets pushed to the bottom of our list when life feels overwhelming. So as you listen, I want to leave you with this question: What is one small step you can take today to strengthen an existing connection—or create a new one? LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail.
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The Japanese Way of Raising Calm, Caring, Capable Kids
Authentic Parenting
author and mom on what we can learn from the Japanese approach to parenting. Get her book: OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE The my initial conversation LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail.
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How to Understand and Transform Your Emotions with Hilary Jacobs Hendel
Authentic Parenting
a NYC-based AEDP psychotherapist and emotions educator on using the Change Triangle to understand, manage and regulate your core emotions for optimal well-being. GET HER BOOKS OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY ENJOY LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail.
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Generosity, Happiness & the Reality of Uneven Friendships
Authentic Parenting
We hear a lot these days about boundaries, self-care, and protecting our energy. But what about generosity? In this episode, Kristy Lauricella and I explore generosity—what it means, how it shows up in everyday life, and why noticing it can quietly transform how we experience the world. We discuss generosity as a mindset, not just big acts of giving; how to receive it from others; why acknowledging small acts of kindness matters; and the connection between generosity, gratitude, and happiness. OTHER EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail. ...
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Trailer: Welcome to Authentic Parenting
Authentic Parenting
Authentic Parenting is a podcast about breaking generational trauma cycles and raising emotionally healthy children by growing ourselves first. If you want to parent differently than you were parented, this podcast is for you. We explore how emotions actually work and how childhood trauma lives in the brain, body, and relationships. You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system, stay calm under stress, prevent burnout, and respond instead of react — so you can become a more patient, grounded, and happier parent. Hosted by Anna Seewald, psychologist, educator and parent coach, this show...
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Perimenopause Explained: Symptoms, Hormones, and What Every Woman Should Know
Authentic Parenting
Board-certified physician on the symptoms of perimenopause, hormonal therapies, and what women need to know about this often misunderstood stage of life. In this conversation, we explore common perimenopause symptoms—including anxiety, insomnia, mood changes, brain fog, and shifts in energy and why these hormonal changes in women are often mistaken for depression or anxiety disorders. Dr. Hirsch explains what happens to estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone during perimenopause, when this transition typically begins, and how menopausal hormone therapy may help some women feel like...
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Stop Trying to Be the Strong Mom: Grief, Joy and The Power of Vulnerability
Authentic Parenting
family physician, on redefining strength in motherhood and why vulnerability matters more than being the “strong mom.” An honest conversation about the difference between pity and compassion, the tension between privacy and oversharing, and the emotional truth that grief and joy can coexist. This episode explores what it means to be witnessed in your story—and how holding the long view can sustain us through the messy, beautiful work of parenting. Get her book: LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail.
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Are Our Kids Really Okay These Days?
Authentic Parenting
Dr. Ross Greene breaks down why more kids are struggling today and why it’s not just social media’s fault. He explains developmental variability, why meeting kids where they are isn’t lowering expectations, and what really drives anxiety, depression, and distress in children. A must-listen for parents, educators, and anyone who cares about the next generation. Listen to Dr. Green's first interivew: LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail.
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Are We Over-Diagnosing Our Kids? Rethinking ADHD, Autism, and the Search for Normal
Authentic Parenting
What is mental health? What is a diagnosis? Are ADHD and autism genetic? And what happens to families when every struggle gets a label? In this provocative conversation, veteran child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Sami Timimi challenges many widely held assumptions about children’s distress, resilience, and the role of experts. You may not agree with everything you hear — but if you’re willing to stay open and curious, you’ll gain a radically different lens on big emotions, learn how to support children without immediately turning them into patients, and discover ways to nurture...
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Toddlers, Tantrums, And Discipline That Works
Authentic Parenting
from Tranforming Toddlerhood on how can you respond to your toddler with both firmness and compassion, the three ingredients of effective parenting, and how to use discipline that actually works. What toddler tantrums really mean The truth about the “terrible twos” Why toddlers communicate through behavior How to set limits while staying connected Discipline strategies that work in real life LINKS AND RESOURCES call to leave a voicemail.
info_outlineLicensed Clinical Social Worker and trauma therapist Estefana Johnson shares what makes CMI unique, how it differs from other trauma modalities like EMDR, why our nervous system often overrides logic, and how tuning into ‘signals’ — rather than symptoms — can transform healing.
- (00:00) Introduction to CMI — what Critical Memory Integration is and how it reframes “symptoms” as “signals.”
- (03:45) Difference Between CMI and EMDR — how CMI diverges from EMDR in theory, process, and focus on organic experience processing.
- (08:20) The Roots and Creation of CMI — how the model emerged from integrating multiple trauma modalities into one cohesive approach.
- (11:10) Present-Day Focus — why CMI starts with current discomfort rather than diving directly into past memories.
- (14:25) The Mind vs. the Nervous System — why mindset alone isn’t enough and how the nervous system shapes perception and healing.
- (18:40) Understanding “Critical Memories” — what makes some memories so influential and how they form lifelong behavioral patterns.
- (22:15) Beyond “Big T” and “Small T” Trauma — why trauma categories are subjective and how CMI honors each person’s lived experience.
- (26:00) The CMI Process — how clinicians assess tolerance for discomfort and guide clients through following body-based signals.
- (33:10) A Self-Guided CMI Practice — a simple exercise for tuning into sensations and emotions with curiosity and compassion.
- (40:00) Integration, Compassion, and Regulation — the role of self-compassion, co-regulation, and practical tools like breathwork in healing.
- (45:30) Closing Reflections — trusting your body’s wisdom and learning more about CMI training through Arise Alliance.
Podcast Production by Aminur: https://www.upwork.com/