Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.
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Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.
You’re Not Broken: The Real Reason You Still React After Leaving a Toxic Partner—and How to Rewire for Connection
Dear Dr. Tracy
9 minutes
1 month ago
You’re Not Broken: The Real Reason You Still React After Leaving a Toxic Partner—and How to Rewire for Connection
In this episode of From the Couch, Dr. Tracy talks about what really happens after ending a toxic or narcissistic relationship and why healing isn’t just emotional—it’s neurological.
When you’ve spent years being shamed, blamed, or dismissed, your nervous system learns that mistakes and disagreements aren’t safe. Neurons that fire together wire together, meaning your body develops reflexive responses that follow you into new relationships.
Dr. Tracy explains how this wiring forms, why you may still react with fear or shutdown even when you’re no longer in that environment, and why this doesn’t mean you’re broken.
Dr. Tracy shares three essential steps for healing: creating new messages of safety through repetition, practicing co-regulation with a safe partner, and releasing stored stress through movement and breath work. She also emphasizes the role of self-compassion in trauma recovery and rebuilding trust.
If you’re navigating life after a toxic relationship and wondering why it still feels hard, this episode will help you understand your nervous system and begin rewiring toward safety and connection.
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Dear Dr. Tracy
Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.
