Whalen Integrative Therapy, LCSW, PLLC

01/18/2026

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01/10/2026

01/06/2026

Think about this🤔💡

Selah 🧘🏿‍♀️

01/05/2026

See you in the office tomorrow!

01/04/2026

WHEN TRIGGERED, REMEMBER TO GIVE YOURSELF G.R.A.C.E.

Triggers often show up quietly and then suddenly feel overwhelming.
A tone of voice.
A delayed reply.
A look that reminds you of an old wound.
A boundary crossed.
Feeling unseen, corrected, abandoned, or misunderstood.

In these moments, the body reacts faster than the mind. What surfaces is not immaturity or over-sensitivity—it is memory. The nervous system responding to what once hurt.

This is where G.R.A.C.E. becomes a lived practice, not a concept.

G — Ground
Use this when you feel your body tightening, your breath becoming shallow, or your thoughts racing.
Grounding helps when you feel flooded—during an argument, after a harsh comment, or when your body feels on edge for “no clear reason.”

R — Recognize
Use this when self-criticism begins.
Recognize that what you’re feeling is a trigger, not the whole truth of the present moment.
This step is especially helpful in relationships—when old attachment wounds are activated.

A — Allow
Use this when you feel the urge to suppress, distract, or immediately “move on.”
Allowing is essential after emotional invalidation, conflict, or when grief or anger feels inconvenient but persistent.

C — Compassion
Use this when shame appears.
Compassion is needed when you judge yourself for reacting, crying, freezing, or needing reassurance.
It reminds you that this response was once a survival strategy.

E — Engage with choice
Use this when you are about to send a message, lash out, withdraw, or over-explain.
Engaging with choice allows you to pause and ask:
“What would feel most regulating—not most reactive—right now?”

⸻

Situations where G.R.A.C.E. is especially helpful
• During conflict with loved ones
• When you feel criticized, controlled, or dismissed
• After emotional neglect or silence
• In moments of abandonment fear or rejection
• When old family dynamics resurface
• When you feel guilty for having needs
• When your body reacts before logic can intervene

Triggers are not signs that you are “going backwards.”
They are places where healing is asking to go deeper.

Meeting these moments with G.R.A.C.E. teaches the nervous system something new:
This time, I am not alone with what I feel.

And that—slowly, gently—is how safety is re-learned.🤗🤗

01/02/2026

Some of these must be the reasons for your stress...