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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

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

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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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92:39

21. Was My Mother Good or Bad?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/09/09

Apply to be a guest on the show.In this episode, Helen speaks with Elizabeth, who has gone no contact with her father and is now questioning the role her late mother played in enabling his behaviour. Once seen as her safe person, her mother’s minimising responses and final letters revealed a truth Elizabeth has struggled to face.Together they explore the grief of realising lost protection, the weight of guilt and responsibility, and the anger that comes with uncovering how secrecy and shame shaped

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93:24

20. Should I Tell My Children About Their Abusive...

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/09/09

In this episode, Helen is joined by Jada, who opens up about the death of her abusive mother and the painful legacy it has left behind. Jada reflects on how her mother not only failed to protect her from her father’s abuse but also manipulated and controlled her well into adulthood. Now, six months after her mother’s death, she is faced with complex emotions of anger, grief, shame, and the question of whether to share the truth of her past with her two young adult children.Jada speaks candidly about

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21:25

Is the Fawn Response real?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/29

The Fawn Response has been declared a primary trauma response, but is it really? Understanding this distinction between primary and secondary response is vital because it empowers you to be able to manage it. You don’t have to fawn! And if you’re feeling the need to, either your relational pattern is playing out, or the person you’re with isn’t safe. Never shame yourself for surviving, it’s amazing you got here. Take care, Helen This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other

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01:32:39

21. Was My Mother Good or Bad?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/27

What if the parent you trusted to protect you was really protecting themselves?In this episode, Helen speaks with Elizabeth, who has gone no contact with her father and is now questioning the role her late mother played in enabling his behaviour. Once seen as her safe person, her mother’s minimising responses and final letters revealed a truth Elizabeth has struggled to face.Together they explore the grief of realising lost protection, the weight of guilt and responsibility, and the anger that comes

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01:33:24

20. Should I Tell My Children About Their Abusive...

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/20

What if the same person could be remembered in completely different ways?In this episode, Helen is joined by Jada, who opens up about the death of her abusive mother and the painful legacy it has left behind. Jada reflects on how her mother not only failed to protect her from her father’s abuse but also manipulated and controlled her well into adulthood. Now, six months after her mother’s death, she is faced with complex emotions of anger, grief, shame, and the question of whether to share the truth

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3:00

Boundaries and Trauma with Juliet Grayson

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/13

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit helenvilliersliberation.substack.comIn this episode, Helen is joined by psychosexual therapist and author Juliet Grayson for a rich and illuminating conversation about trauma, boundaries, and the power of body-based therapy.

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01:27:46

19. How Does Guilt Protect Me? Part 2 of 2

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/13

What if shame has been speaking louder than your voice?In this follow up to last week’s conversation, Sinead returns to talk with Helen about the deeper roots of her anxiety, guilt, and fear of speaking up. Through guided imagery, Sinead explores the physical sensations tied to her voice: a hot, jagged feeling in her chest and a tight grip in her stomach. Both have long worked to keep her safe from the consequences of speaking out.Helen helps Sinead meet “Mr Guilt”, the shadowy figure who has been

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01:26:04

18. Why Does Silence Hurt More? Part 1 of 2

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/06

What if the silence after going no contact was louder than any fight you imagined?In this first part of a two-part episode episode, Sinead joins Helen to share the emotional aftermath of going no contact with her grandmother and the family system that enabled harm. Raised primarily by her grandparents, Sinead unpacks a childhood shaped by coercion, manipulation, and control. What she was told was her choice now reveals itself as something else entirely. Her grandmother enforced strict emotional

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2:00

Gaslighting - The Expert Series

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/08/05

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit helenvilliersliberation.substack.com

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01:36:18

17. Why Were They Willing to Sacrifice Me?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/07/30

What if the moment you chose yourself was the moment they turned against you?In this episode, Lola joins Helen to share her story of surviving an emotionally abusive marriage and the painful fallout that followed. Raised in a household where love came with conditions and silence was expected, Lola entered her first long-term relationship as a teenager. What followed was years of emotional entrapment, manipulation, and failed attempts to leave, all under the weight of cultural and family

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01:34:59

16. Does My Trauma Make Me A Bad Parent?

The Liberation Effect ·

2025/07/23

What if feeling your emotions meant risking everything that keeps you safe?In this episode, Stephen joins Helen to explore the collapse of his coping systems after becoming a father. As a neurodivergent parent living with autism and ADHD, Stephen reflects on how the unpredictability of raising a toddler has triggered early patterns of fear, control, and emotional self-protection. He speaks openly about growing up in an environment where feelings were unsafe, religion was weaponised, and perfection

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