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PODCAST

The Liberation Effect

Helen Villiers MA

Each week Helen invites a guest to explore a problem they’re facing and works through it with them; peeling back the layers to understand what’s happening and offering ways to move forward and make changes to resolve the issue. Whether it’s coping with narcissistic parents; going no contact; parenting ADHD or Autistic children; parenting after trauma; or their own ADHD or Autism; Helen helps the listener untangle the parts that keeps them stuck. To access Helen’s community focused on healing,

health & fitness mental health

All Episodes

0:36

End of Season One

The Liberation Effect ·

2026/01/21

We're reached the end of season one of The Liberation Effect! A huge thank you to all of our guests this season for sharing their stories so openly.We will be back very soon for season two! If you would like to be a guest on The Liberation Effect, you can apply for one of our limited therapeutic sessions recorded for the podcast. Your identity is fully protected, and only twelve sessions are published each year. You'll also find courses, resources and support at:

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82:53

40. Is It Autism or Trauma? (Replay)

The Liberation Effect ·

2026/01/14

This week we're replaying one of our listeners' favourite episodes in which Patrick asks, is it autism or trauma?When we’ve grown up in chaos, it can be hard to untangle our trauma from who we truly are. In this episode, Patrick explores the tangled web of trust, identity, and survival after a lifetime shaped by narcissistic abuse - and a recent autism diagnosis that’s reframed everything.As he sits down with Helen, we witness a moving conversation about how trauma disguises itself in our thoughts,

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53:58

39. Leaving With No Resources

The Liberation Effect ·

2026/01/07

In this solo episode, Helen responds to a listener who feels at breaking point in a relationship shaped by chronic stress, emotional withdrawal and fear. With two young children in the home, she explores the weight of being expected to absorb a partner’s distress, manage the emotional atmosphere, and question your own character for reacting to behaviour that feels unsafe. Losing patience is often framed as a personal failing, but this episode challenges that belief directly, reframing it as a signal

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95:53

38. Why Does My Body Still Feel Like a Battleground?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/12/24

This week Helen is joined by Lucy, and together they explore the lasting impact of growing up with criticism, shaming and emotional chaos. Despite years of therapy and increased awareness, Lucy still carries a harsh internal voice shaped by her relationship with her mother, particularly around her body, appearance and worth. Confidence was treated as something dangerous, and self acceptance often led to ridicule or punishment, leaving Lucy hyper aware of how she is seen and quick to turn against

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92:30

37. Is it Still Abuse if She's Autistic?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/12/17

In this episode, Helen speaks with Kate about the kind of guilt that forms when a child learns to survive by explaining away harm. Growing up in an emotionally unsafe home taught Kate to stay agreeable, take responsibility and protect her parents from accountability, even when their behaviour caused lasting damage. A central thread in the conversation is Kate’s reflection on her mother potentially being autistic, and the painful question of whether understanding that context changes, or excuses, the

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70:49

36. Is It My Identity or a Survival Strategy?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/12/10

In this conversation, Helen speaks with Sarah, who has carried a sense of not being good enough since childhood. Growing up in an environment where curiosity was treated as defiance and undiagnosed ADHD was seen as naughtiness, Sarah learned early that safety depended on silence, compliance and taking the blame. As an adult, that history lives on in self blame, people pleasing and the fear of letting others down. Together they explore how old coping mechanisms form in the absence of safety, how

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95:00

35. How Do I Heal From a Friend's Betrayal?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/12/03

In this episode, Helen sits with Evie as she unravels the painful chain reaction that followed the betrayal of a long-term friend. What began as a rupture in a twenty one year friendship opened the door to something much older. Memories of a childhood shaped by a narcissistic mother, the loss of her father, and years spent surviving rather than becoming herself. The fallout has stirred insomnia, nightmares and flashbacks, as well as a grief for the identity she feels she never had the chance to

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44:36

34. Parenting After Trauma

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/11/26

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-applicationIn this episode, Helen speaks directly to the challenges of parenting when your own childhood was marked by fear, invalidation or emotional neglect. Drawing on the questions she is asked most often, she explores why a child’s big feelings can feel overwhelming to a parent with trauma, how rescue becomes a survival strategy rather than support, and why holding both connection and boundary is the foundation

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74:32

33. Am I Abandoning My Disabled Sibling?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/11/19

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-applicationUntangling love from duty when independence was denied.In this episode, Helen speaks with Isabel about the impossible guilt of growing up as the able-bodied sibling in a family built around care, control and expectation. From childhood, Isabel was told she would one day be responsible for her disabled sister, a message that shaped her identity and left little room for her own life or freedom.Together they

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68:10

32. The Hardest Thing About Going No Contact with...

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/11/12

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-applicationIn this conversation, Helen is joined by author, coach and trainee psychotherapist Harriet Shearsmith to explore the emotional landscape of going no contact with a parent. Through listener questions, they speak to the grief that comes with choosing distance, particularly the longing for the parent you never truly had and the ache of not having a senior adult to lean on when life feels heavy.Harriet reflects

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90:13

31. Why Does Being Seen Still Feel Unsafe?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/11/05

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-applicationIn this continuation of her story, Catherine speaks with Helen about the lasting effects of growing up unheard and disbelieved. Together they unpack the tension between wanting connection and fearing exposure, and how self-protection can harden into invisibility. Catherine reflects on her instinct to stay small, control her surroundings, and apologise for taking up space, tracing each habit back to moments

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75:13

30. How Do I Learn to Exist When I Was Raised to...

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/10/29

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-applicationIn part one of a two-part story, Helen speaks with Catherine about growing up unseen in a family where silence, perfection and religion shaped her sense of worth. Together they explore how childhood invisibility can follow us into adulthood, in relationships, work and even the body, showing up as discomfort with being noticed, fear of conflict or the drive to perform for love.The conversation looks at the

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60:34

How do we support ADHD at home, at school and in...

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/10/22

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application In this solo Q and A episode, Helen answers questions from the community on parenting ADHD, navigating school systems, and understanding late diagnosis. She explores why children are regulated at school and fall apart at home, how to reduce demands without losing boundaries, and what parents can do when teachers misread overwhelm as defiance. Helen offers clear guidance on scaffolding, co-regulation, and

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98:05

28. Why Has My Mother Rewritten Our Past?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/10/15

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-application In this week’s episode Helen meets Sarah, who shares her experience of estrangement after years of gaslighting, blame, and denial from her mother. Together they explore what happens when a parent refuses accountability, rewriting the past to protect their image and leaving their child burdened with guilt. Sarah opens up about the grief of realising she may never be chosen, the pressure to keep peace at her

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87:43

27. How Do I Find My Voice?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/10/08

To be on the show please apply here: ⁠⁠https://hub.liberationacademy.co.uk/podcast-applicationThis week’s episode centres on the impossible balance between seeing the truth of a parent’s behaviour and still being in contact with them. Liz joins Helen to explore how conditioning, guilt, and fear of rejection can keep survivors tied to painful family dynamics. Together they unpack the cost of managing a relationship that demands silence, how “not making a fuss” becomes a survival strategy, and the

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71:18

26. Can I Heal From CPTSD and Still See My Mum?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/10/01

This week, Helen is joined by Erin, a Hub community moderator and trainee therapist, to answer a listener’s question about living with a narcissistic mother while coping with complex PTSD. Together they unpack how ongoing contact can trigger emotional flashbacks, why people pleasing and hyper-independence often develop as survival strategies, and the hard choices involved in setting boundaries. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus

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58:43

Body Image and Shame with The Fat Counsellors

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/09/24

In this episode, originally released on our premium feed, Helen is joined by Jo Reader and Cat Chappell, psychotherapists and the voices behind The Fat Counsellors, for an unflinching and affirming conversation about shame, fatphobia, and the stories we inherit about our bodies.Together, they explore how body image is shaped by intergenerational trauma, how fatphobia shows up in therapy, family systems, and medicine, and the cultural myths that keep us chasing thinness at any cost. Jo and Cat share

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102:25

24. My Kids Are Neurodiverse, How Can I Parent...

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/09/17

Helen talks with Lucinda, who is raising two neurodivergent children while breaking free from the patterns of a difficult childhood. Together they explore how she supports an autistic son through friendship struggles, helps an ADHD daughter manage big emotions, and finds ways to set firm yet compassionate boundaries. Lucinda shares the loneliness of carrying the mental load, the relief of small breakthroughs, and the quiet strength it takes to create a home that feels safe, loving and truly her own

en

90:12

23. What If I’m Becoming The Parent I Ran From?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/09/10

In this powerful episode, Scarlett opens up about leaving a religious cult, the shock of being discarded by her entire family, and the grief of realising her parents never loved her in the way she needed. She and Helen explore what it means to parent after trauma, to live with the echoes of fat phobia, shame, and control, and to try to build an identity after years of being told who to be. Their conversation touches on resilience, fragmentation, neurodivergence and the small, steady steps of

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103:28

22. Why Is Knowing My Dad Something I Have To Hide?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/09/09

⁠⁠Apply to be on the show.In this powerful conversation, Helen speaks with Sabrina, who was abducted by her mother as a child and raised far from her biological father. Now, at 40 and newly diagnosed as autistic, she is reconnecting with her father while still caught in the emotional grip of a controlling mother.Together they explore the lifelong impact of enmeshment, secrecy, and guilt, and how Sabrina has been taught to protect her mother’s feelings above her own needs. She shares the pain of

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