Unravel with Elaine Clark
Unravel, hosted by Elaine Clark, explores the intersection of mental health and physical health. Through expert interviews and insightful conversations, we uncover science-backed tools and practices for well-being and personal growth.
Whether you’re seeking to cultivate resilience, challenge misconceptions, or reconnect with your innate wisdom, Unravel offers the insights and guidance to support your journey.
Science meets embodiment. Let’s explore what it means to unravel the layers—together.
Unravel with Elaine Clark
31- The Wound of Abandonment: Adoption, Attachment & Healing the Nervous System with Catherine Moore
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In this episode, I’m joined by registered clinical counsellor, author, and adoption advocate Catherine Moore for a tender and deeply insightful conversation about adoption, abandonment, belonging, and healing the nervous system.
Catherine brings a unique perspective as an adoptee, adoptive mother, counsellor, and co-director of We Are Adopted. Together, we explore the emotional complexity of adoption, including the impact of early separation, the longing to know where we come from, and the hidden grief, shame, and anxiety that can live beneath the surface.
Catherine shares her own story of reunion, the silence and secrecy that often surround closed adoption, and how these early experiences can shape attachment, identity, relationships, and the felt sense of safety in the body. We also talk about how somatic therapy, mindfulness, movement, breath, and compassionate presence can help soften old imprints and support healing.
In this episode, we unravel:
- The emotional complexity of adoption and reunion
- How early separation can shape attachment and belonging
- Why abandonment wounds often live in the nervous system
- How shame, anxiety, and hypervigilance can show up in adoptees
- The difference between who we are and the adaptations we developed to survive
- How somatic therapy can help heal preverbal trauma
- How to support someone you love who is adopted
- Why being seen, heard, and understood can be profoundly healing
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