Episode
When Family Is the Source of the Trauma With Dr. Sherrie
- Podcast
- Sisters In Sobriety
- Published
- Mar 9, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2608
- Processing state
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Summary
<p>Licensed clinical psychologist and bestselling author <strong>Dr. Sherrie Campbell</strong> joins us for a powerful conversation about toxic family dynamics, emotional abuse, and the complicated path toward family estrangement. In this episode, Sonia and Kathleen explore how unhealthy family relationships can shape self-worth, boundaries, and coping mechanisms—including substance use—and how women can begin to reclaim their lives. </p><br><p>Dr. Campbell is a nationally recognized expert on family estrangement, author of <em>Adult Survivors of Toxic Family Members</em>, a TEDx speaker, and host of the top 1% podcast <em>Sherapy Sessions: Cutting Toxic Family Ties.</em> Together, they unpack the realities of emotionally abusive parenting, boundary setting, and the courage it takes to choose healing.</p><br><p>The conversation explores difficult but deeply relatable questions: What actually qualifies as emotional abuse in a family system? Why do so many adult children struggle to recognize toxic dynamics while they’re living inside them? How do manipulation, triangulation, guilt, and silent treatment shape a child’s development—and how do those patterns follow people into adulthood? The episode also examines how family trauma can intersect with coping behaviors like alcohol use, why estrangement is often misunderstood, and how protective distance can become an act of self-respect rather than rejection.</p><br><p><br></p><p>Dr. Campbell shares parts of her own story of growing up in a deeply dysfunctional family system and the decades-long process that ultimately led her to cut contact with her mother. She walks through the moment that finally broke the cyc…