Episode
E 321: Growing Up in Dysfunction: Healing Shame, Trauma & People Pleasing Guest Kara Lissy
- Podcast
- Adult Child of Dysfunction
- Published
- May 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2262
- Processing state
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Summary
What happens when childhood dysfunction follows you into adulthood? In this deeply healing episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with licensed therapist and ACOA specialist Kara Lissy to unpack the lasting effects of growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home. Together, they explore childhood trauma, nervous system dysregulation, people pleasing, grief, shame, perfectionism, emotional neglect, boundaries, and what healing actually looks like as an adult child of dysfunction. If you've ever struggled with anxiety, hypervigilance, relationship issues, emotional triggers, or feeling “not enough,” this episode will help you understand why and show you that healing is possible. LONG SEO-OPTIMIZED CAPTIVATE DESCRIPTION Did you grow up walking on eggshells, feeling hypervigilant, anxious, emotionally neglected, or constantly trying to keep the peace? If so, you are not alone. In this powerful episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction, Tammy sits down with licensed therapist, ACOA specialist, and author Kara Lissy, LCSW, to talk about what really happens when you grow up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional family system and how those childhood experiences continue shaping your relationships, nervous system, self-worth, and emotional patterns as an adult. Kara brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this conversation, sharing her own story of growing up with alcoholism in the home, navigating shame, grief, hypervigilance, people pleasing, and eventually turning pain into purpose through therapy and healing work. Together, Tammy and Kara discuss: ✔ Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) and dysfunctional family patterns ✔ Childhood trauma and nervous system dysregulation ✔ Why people pleasing and perfectionism develop ✔ Shame, grief, and healing y…