The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast Episode #182

The Science of Stuck

Episode 182: The Science of Stuck with Britt Frank

with Britt Frank

About This Episode

Britt Frank is the author of The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward. Many of my listeners are stuck on the idea of whether they should stay or go, or stuck in trauma and fear. That’s why I invited Britt to the show to talk about the small steps we can take to become unstuck and move forward with dignity.

Britt is a trauma specialist and psychotherapist.  Her work focuses on empowering people to understand the mechanisms of our brains and bodies so we can break through procrastination and find our way home to ourselves. This conversation is amazing, I hope you enjoy it!

Learn more about Britt Frank:

Britt Frank, MSW, LSCSW, SEP is a clinician, educator, and trauma specialist. She speaks and writes widely about the mental health myths that keep us stuck and stressed. Britt received her BA from Duke University and her MSW from the University of Kansas, where she later became an award-winning adjunct professor. She is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Level 3 trained in the Internal Family Systems therapeutic model. Britt was a primary therapist at a drug and alcohol treatment center, an inpatient therapist at a children’s psychiatric hospital, and now owns a private practice. You can find Britt on Instagram @brittfrank or on her website www.scienceofstuck.com. Her debut book The Science of Stuck was released 3-22-22 by Penguin Random House.

What you’ll hear about in this episode:

  • The fastest way to get out of being stuck is to take small steps (5:08)
  • How to define the ‘first step’ to help you figure out your plan for getting unstuck (7:53)
  • Dissociation is a self-protection mechanism – there’sa reason you’re not doing the thing you want to do: you’re experiencing the freeze response to trauma (13:11)
  • Britt explains why we can’t think ourselves forward (16:04)
  • We explore the steps to help you get unstuck including: Validating what’s happening and determining the resources available to help right now (22:40)
  • Why Britt says to stay away from positive and negative thinking and instead focus on accurate thinking (24:52)
  • Your inner critic wants to help, but they are just really bad at it! (27:59)
  • Leaving a relationship requires detox and withdrawal (34:23)
  • Self-sabotage is a way to self-protect – don’t blame yourself for self-sabotaging. Recognize it’s happening and then follow the steps to move through being stuck (39:41)
  • Self-mothering is one the most powerful ways of breaking trauma bonds (44:24)
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Disclaimer

The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

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