The Centre for Healing Podcast

Show Notes: Healing with Pets and Humans

Guest: Fabienne Wydler

In this heartfelt conversation, we explore the powerful and often overlooked relationship between humans and their animal companions—and how healing can unfold on both sides of the leash.

Key Takeaways:

Our pets often mirror unresolved emotions, unexpressed needs, and weakened boundaries in their human companions, gently holding space for what wants to be seen and healed.

Deepening your connection and attunement with your pet can offer profound insights into your own emotional world, supporting personal growth and transformation.

Animals provide a non-judgemental, emotionally safe presence—particularly supportive for neurodivergent children who may find it easier to express themselves with animals than with people.

Behavioural challenges in pets (such as anxiety, aggression, or destructiveness) often point to deeper emotional or relational dynamics within the human–animal bond. Healing the root cause can create lasting change for both.

Resources Mentioned:

Fabienne Wydler’s website: fabiennewydler.com

Free booklet on emotional mirroring: Available for download via Fabienne’s website

Connect with Fabienne:

Instagram: @healingwithfabienne

YouTube: Heal With Animals

Facebook Group: Heal With Animals

Podcast Episode: Exploring and Inquiring into Parts

Guests: Ryan Hassan & Matt Kay

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Ryan Hassan and Matt Kay guide listeners through the fascinating world of parts work, explaining how different aspects of ourselves form, interact, and influence our behaviours. They share practical tools for relating to these parts with curiosity and compassion, as well as embodied techniques for deeper self-exploration.

Key Topics Covered

1. Understanding Parts

What are "parts" and how do they form?

How parts develop as coping mechanisms during childhood experiences and challenging environments.

Understanding internal conflicts and self-sabotaging behaviours that arise when parts are in opposition.

2. Relating to Parts

Adopting a compassionate and curious approach to your parts.

Welcoming all parts of yourself—even those you may dislike or want to suppress.

Recognising that parts are aspects of yourself, not separate entities.

3. Embodied Inquiry

Exploring parts through embodied inquiry, a somatic, felt-sense method.

Sample inquiry questions:

When did this part first emerge?

How has it served or sabotaged you?

What does it believe about you or the world?

What does it need, and what would happen if it weren’t present?

Key Insights & Takeaways

Parts are often created as survival mechanisms, helping maintain autonomy and connection, particularly after developmental trauma or a lack of safety and empathy.

Healing involves integration and wholeness, where all parts are acknowledged and understood.

Cultivating the ability to compassionately witness your parts and respond to their needs with empathy is crucial for personal growth, individuation, and lasting healing.

Resources & Next Steps

Embodied Processing (EP) provides a structured approach to exploring and working with parts.

Click the Embodied Processing free pre-training here - https://www.thecentreforhealing.com/embodied-processing-pretraining

For personalized guidance, consider reaching out to Ryan, Matt, or a certified EP practitioner.

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Ryan Hassan and Noel Haarburger explore the inner critic—its origins, mechanisms, and how it influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Listeners are guided through understanding the difference between a healthy conscience and an unhealthy inner critic, learning strategies to engage with it, and cultivating self-compassion and personal resilience.

Key Topics Covered

Understanding the Inner Critic

Also referred to as the inner judge or superego.

Plays a role in shaping self-perception and behavior.

Origins and Development

Often rooted in childhood experiences and early survival strategies.

Cultural expectations and societal norms can amplify the inner critic.

Inner Critic Dynamics

Interaction with the “victim” part of the self and coping strategies.

Contradictory demands that often create internal conflict.

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Conscience

Healthy conscience guides ethical behavior and personal growth.

Unhealthy inner critic fosters guilt, shame, and self-judgment.

Futility and Pervasiveness

Inner critic demands are often impossible to satisfy.

Can manifest in multiple areas of life, creating chronic stress.

The Myth of Necessity

Belief that high achievement requires a harsh inner critic is false.

Self-Compassion

Central to countering the inner critic.

Involves developing the “adult self” to nurture, protect, and guide the inner child.

Key Insights & Takeaways

The inner critic often begins as a childhood survival mechanism.

Cultural and societal pressures compound its intensity.

Awareness and observation of the inner critic is crucial for transformation.

The inner critic is contradictory, leading to emotional and physical exhaustion.

Effective strategies include:

Using humor and paradox to disrupt its patterns.

Practicing assertiveness to set boundaries with internal judgments.

Cultivating self-compassion and an adult self to respond rather than react.

Practical Conclusions & Actions

Daily Dialogue: Regularly engage in conversations with the inner critic to understand its motivations.

Dual Awareness: Develop the capacity to observe the inner critic without fully identifying with it.

Origin Exploration: Reflect on situations that trigger the inner critic and their roots.

Defend & Disengage: Learn to protect yourself while maintaining compassion for the inner critic and the self.

Listen and Learn: This episode provides actionable guidance for anyone looking to transform the impact of their inner critic, reduce internal conflict, and cultivate a more compassionate, empowered self.

Understanding Boundaries and Boundary Setting

Episode Summary

In this insightful episode, Noel Haarburger and Ryan explore the art of setting and maintaining healthy boundaries. They discuss why boundaries matter, how they are shaped by early experiences, and offer practical strategies for cultivating strong, flexible boundary skills. Whether you tend to be overly accommodating or struggle with rigidity, this episode provides tools and perspectives to help you navigate relationships with confidence and authenticity.

Key Topics Covered

The Cell Membrane Analogy: Understanding boundaries as flexible yet protective, like a cell membrane.

Boundary Extremes: Recognizing patterns of being too accommodating versus overly guarded.

Anger and Assertiveness: How integrating these emotions supports effective boundary setting.

Early Attachment and Trauma: How childhood experiences influence boundary patterns in adulthood.

Practical Exercises:

Saying “yes” and “no” with clarity

Visualizing personal boundary spaces

Role-playing real-life boundary scenarios

Insights and Takeaways

Healthy boundaries are a cornerstone of personal growth, yet many struggle to establish and maintain them.

Suppressing anger or assertiveness can create resentment and emotional blocks; embracing these emotions is essential.

Self-awareness, emotional integration, and vulnerability are crucial for reclaiming your capacity to set boundaries.

Boundary work is relational—surrounding yourself with supportive people enhances your growth.

Sustainable boundary development requires ongoing self-reflection, self-compassion, and challenging limiting beliefs.

Resources Mentioned

Gabor Maté – Exploring the link between boundaries, anger, and physical health.

Book: When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

Connect with Us

Join the Healing Hub membership for ongoing support and resources: The Healing Hub

For questions or enquiries, email: [email protected]

Episode Overview

In this episode, we explore the transformative approach of trauma-informed parenting. We discuss how to understand trauma, create a safe and attuned environment for your children, recognize and address projected trauma, and implement a practical trauma-informed parenting blueprint to support both you and your child’s emotional growth.

Key Takeaways

Trauma isn’t only about external events—it’s also about the internal impact on the individual.

Children’s stress responses require co-regulation, not simply “self-soothing.”

Authenticity and attachment can sometimes be in conflict, leading to suppressed emotions.

Projecting our unresolved trauma onto our children is common but can be worked through.

Awareness of unconscious parenting beliefs and patterns is essential for meaningful change.

Integrating difficult emotions, such as anger, in a healthy way is important.

Maintaining your sense of identity beyond being a parent helps prevent burnout and resentment.

Key Topics Covered

Understanding trauma, emotional imprints, and the stress response

Creating a space of safety, attunement, and authenticity

Recognizing and addressing projected trauma

Implementing a trauma-informed parenting blueprint

Actionable Steps

Deepen your understanding of trauma, the stress response, and nervous system regulation.

Create a safe, attuned, and authentic environment where your children can thrive.

Notice when you might be projecting your own trauma and take steps to address it.

Apply a trauma-informed parenting blueprint, including:

Identifying emotional triggers and unconscious beliefs

Integrating difficult emotions in a healthy way

Preserving your identity beyond parenting

Seek support, continue learning, and grow as a trauma-informed parent.

Recommended Resources

Embodied Processing (EP) Practitioner Training – for deeper trauma work and personal development

Awareness by Anthony de Mello

V for Vendetta (movie)

The Shift (movie)