Connectability with Anna Runkle

Oct 14, 2025

Anna Runkle, the creator of Crappy Childhood Fairy and author of Connectability, shares her insights on healing from childhood trauma and complex PTSD. She discusses how disconnection can shape our relationships and the importance of recognizing covert avoidance behaviors. Anna offers practical skills for rebuilding connections, emphasizing small daily actions and the need to navigate boundaries. The podcast explores how relational healing is fundamental to trauma recovery, making clear that connectability is a skill that can be learned.

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ANECDOTE

Ostracized In Moms' Groups

Anna recounts being ostracized in moms' groups after divorce and demanding identity limits.
She realized adopting a single-mom identity caused her to give up on important social efforts.

INSIGHT

Triggers Stack And Cause Overreaction

Small triggers feel huge because chronic stress stacks up like pancakes until one more collapses you.
Isolation often becomes a protective response to reduce that cumulative load.

ADVICE

Notice And Reduce Covert Avoidance

Try covert-avoidance awareness: notice when you stay busy or avoid eye contact to dodge discomfort.
Name the behavior and practice small, deliberate exposures to reduce avoidance over time.

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How to have healthy relationships after CPTSD or Childhood Trauma. Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

You can learn how to build healthy relationships after childhood trauma or CPTSD. Today we talk with Anna Runkle, creator of Crappy Childhood Fairy about how to work through relationships when you desperately need people but you're tired of being hurt.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

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