Healing social anxiety
Here’s an excerpt from my podcast interview with Robbie Leigh that aired last week: I went into this as a self-healer. I just wanted to...
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The Karapace Blog
Katie Whittier
- May 9
- 3 min
Is it neurodivergence or past trauma?
If you’re highly sensitive or neurodivergent – especially if the diagnosis came in adulthood – you’ve likely questioned whether your...
120
Katie Whittier
- May 2
- 4 min
The story behind my trauma series
I’ve mentioned this in the past, but let me come right out and make it clear: I believe our autonomic responses of Fight, Flight and...
280
Katie Whittier
- Apr 25
- 3 min
What’s the least you can do?
Compulsive overachieving is often a sign of an activated flight state – one of the 4-Fs of trauma (fight, flight, freeze, fawn). It shows...
140
Katie Whittier
- Apr 18
- 3 min
How trauma becomes power
You’ve probably heard of the trauma responses fight and flight. You’ve likely even heard of the freeze response. Each of these responses...
290
Katie Whittier
- Apr 11
- 5 min
When deep breathing doesn’t calm you
Breathing exercises can be triggering for a lot of people. But because the science behind the practice is so irrefutable, a lot of people...
310
Katie Whittier
- Apr 4
- 4 min
Too jaded for healing work?
What if you really love your life – no need to change it – you just wish it didn’t feel so frantic to get through a day? You love being a...
1680
Katie Whittier
- Mar 28
- 4 min
How neuro training changed my life
I’ve been training my nervous system on a daily basis for just over seven months now, and it has radically changed my life for the...
440
Katie Whittier
- Mar 21
- 4 min
Nervous system sensitivity
About one in five people in the world qualify as Highly Sensitive. I am one of them, but it took a long time for me to accept it. In...
540
Katie Whittier
- Mar 14
- 4 min
The compounding effect of trauma
Why does trauma erode your resilience? Over time, trauma makes your brain more sensitive to threat, and as a result, stressors begin to...
460
Katie Whittier
- Mar 7
- 5 min
The paradox of dissociation
Sensory overload is a defining issue in autism, ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence, like high sensitivity. Sometimes, it shows up in...
470
Katie Whittier
- Feb 29
- 4 min
Why you should mask less
If you’re neurodivergent, female, BIPOC or a combination thereof, it’s likely you expend a lot of energy keeping up a mask that assures...
600
Katie Whittier
- Feb 22
- 2 min
What if you were in charge?
What would be different about how the world works if you had the power to design it from scratch? What would symbolize success in your...
310
Katie Whittier
- Feb 14
- 3 min
When healing intensifies
Using somatic practices to heal emotional wounds is extremely effective. But the journey can be too intense at times. There are times...
480
Katie Whittier
- Feb 8
- 3 min
Why your positive self-talk fails
Have you ever tried focusing on positive thoughts as a way to calm yourself only to find yourself sucked into a vortex of cynicism and...
350
Katie Whittier
- Feb 1
- 3 min
Trauma robs you of your story
It’s February again. That means I’m closing in on four years since my major mental breakdown and the radical change that continues as I...
640
Katie Whittier
- Jan 25
- 3 min
Do you feel safe enough to trust yourself?
Life isn’t meant to be easy, but what if you could experience more ease even in the tough moments? What if you felt energized by...
260
Katie Whittier
- Jan 18
- 3 min
Neuroplasticity and Selfhood
People who have experienced social or familial trauma have a key commonality with people who are neurodivergent: We have to some extent...
790
Katie Whittier
- Jan 11
- 3 min
Do your goals reflect your potential?
Sometimes, you reach a point in life where you feel blocked or get stuck. It’s a “mired in muck” feeling, and it shows up as depression,...
120
Katie Whittier
- Jan 3
- 2 min
Reality-check your New Year Resolutions
Do your New Years Resolution lead you where you truly want to go? If you're a busybody like I am, to-do lists, goal-setting and New Year...
310
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