#87 C-PTSD, Emotional Regulation, & Reclaiming Power featuring Lawrence Harris - Grace Lauren Wong

Today’s guest is someone who embodies resilience, courage, and compassion. Lawrence is a 19-year-old Youth Empowerment speaker who helps teens and young adults build self-love, resilience, and a positive outlook on life. Drawing from personal experiences with childhood abuse, Autism, and C-PTSD, Lawrence has spent the past four years not only healing, but also helping others do the same. In this episode, we talk about emotional regulation, healing from trauma, and what it really takes to reclaim your life at a young age.

https://www.instagram.com/lawrencec.empowers

https://www.tiktok.com/@lawrencecempowers

https://www.amazon.com/Power-people-control-management-physical-ebook/dp/B0CY95X1MJ

C-PTSD Education & Support
Books

• “The Body Keeps the Score” by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
  
   A foundational book on how trauma lives in the body and how healing is possible through body-based practices.
  
  
• “Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving” by Pete Walker
  
   Especially helpful for those who experienced ongoing childhood trauma. Very accessible language.
  
  
• “What Happened to You?” by Dr. Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
  
   A gentle and hopeful book that explores how childhood trauma affects the brain and how connection and compassion heal it.

🌐 Websites & Online Resources

• The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM)
  
   → nicabm.com
  
  Offers free videos and articles on trauma, emotional regulation, and nervous system healing.
  
  
  
• CPTSD Foundation
  
   → cptsdfoundation.org
  
  A non-profit offering daily trauma-informed support, virtual groups, and education.
  
  
  
• The Mighty – Trauma & Mental Health Section
  
   → themighty.com
  
  A peer-based platform with personal stories, tools, and lived experiences from young people with C-PTSD.
  
  
  

🛠️ 

Tools for Emotional Regulation

• Insight Timer – Free meditation & breathwork app (teens can filter for trauma-sensitive content)
  
  
  
• Moodnotes – Helps track mood and identify emotional thought patterns
  
  
  
• Clear Fear – Specifically made for teens managing anxiety and fear (developed by clinicians)

Printable Tools / PDFs

• Window of Tolerance Handout
  
   → Download here
  
  Helps understand when you’re regulated vs. dysregulated, with tips on returning to calm.
  
  
  
• Emotion Wheel
  
   → Helps name emotions and find language for complex feelings. View example
  
  
  
• Grounding Techniques (PDF)
  
   → List of 15+ grounding techniques for flashbacks, dissociation, or anxiety. Here’s one
  
  

📞 Crisis / Support Lines (U.S.)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline → Call or text 988
  
  
  
• The Trevor Project → For LGBTQ+ youth in crisis: thetrevorproject.org
  
  
  
• Text HOME to 741741 → Free 24/7 support from Crisis life line&nbsp