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You cannot regulate without first entering a place of safety and connection.

If you're stuck in fight, flight, or freeze mode, your body isn’t in a state where true regulation and rewiring can occur. The brain is misreading the moment as danger. An intrusive thought can trigger panic or shutdown. You spiral, trying to solve or escape the thought, but your nervous system is locked in survival mode.

Let me share a quick story about my rescue dog, Dolly.

When Dolly first came home, she was hypervigilant. A sudden movement, a loud sound, even a gentle touch could send her into freeze or flight. Her body didn’t yet know safety. But over time, through consistent connection, gentle cues, and co-regulation, she began to soften. Her tail wagged more. Her eyes relaxed. Her body learned: “I am safe now.”

Humans aren’t so different.

To begin healing, we must speak to our nervous system in a language it understands—safety, connection, presence. Here are a few ways to do that:

🌿 Orient to your environment Look around. Name five things you see. Let your body know: “I am here, and I am safe.”

🫱 Touch with intention Place a hand on your heart or cheek. Gentle touch can signal safety faster than words.

🎶 Use sound to soothe Hum, sing, or listen to calming music. Vibrations help regulate the vagus nerve.

👥 Connect with someone safe Even a brief moment of eye contact or a shared laugh can shift your state.

This is how we begin to rewire. Not through force, but through safety. Through connection. Through repetition.

Your body is listening. Let’s speak to it with kindness.

With warmth, Jen @OT_Intuition The Intuitive Living Collective

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🎙️ OT_Intuition | The Intuitive Living Podcast

Series 1: Perinatal OCD

Episode 5 – Katie: From Prison to Parenthood

⚠️ Content Warning:

This episode includes discussion of traumatic events, including the loss of loved ones and systemic failure in mental health services. While no graphic details are shared, some listeners may find aspects emotionally triggering.

Please take care while listening. Feel free to pause, skip, or return at a later time. Support resources are listed in the show notes.

In this deeply moving and honest episode, I sit down with Katie, a fellow queer occupational therapist whose path into the profession was shaped not only by her psychology background, but also by profound personal loss. She witnessed first-hand the positive impact OTs had on those struggling with their mental health.

Whilst starting her initial training in clinical psychology, Katie experienced a traumatic event involving the devastating loss of people she considered family. A tragedy connected to systemic failures in mental health services.

This heartbreaking chapter became the seed for a purpose-led journey, and the unexpected decision to return to university and undertake another degree, this time, in occupational therapy.

We explore:

🌱 Navigating trauma and finding meaning through a career shift into OT

🔒 Her work in forensic medium secure and prison settings

👶 The raw identity shift into parenthood — including intrusive thoughts and hallucinations

❤️‍🩹 Choosing self-employment and eventually accepting the need to reach out for therapy to support her own growth and recovery

This episode is about what happens when systems fail, and how we slowly begin again. It’s a story of emotional labour, identity, quiet strength, and the rebuilding that follows trauma.

Whether you’re an OT, a parent, or someone navigating your own season of change….this conversation is for you.

💚 Follow @OT_Intuition – The Intuitive Living Podcast for grounded, real-world conversations about identity, regulation, and intuitive living.

#OTIntuition #IntuitiveLivingPodcast #OccupationalTherapy #PerinatalOCD #TraumaInformedCare #ForensicOT #ParenthoodAndPurpose #MentalHealthMatters #NeuroaffirmingCare #AuthenticLiving

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Visit OCD ACTION for advice, support and online groups and webinars

Visit NoOCD for advice, treatment and signposting

Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2

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Parenthood: From Overwhelm to Intuition - A Personal Journey

In this deeply personal episode, I (Jenna – founder of OT_Intuition) step out into the spotlight to share my own lived experience of Perinatal OCD. As a queer, neurodivergent parent and professional, I know what it’s like to feel like you’re losing yourself during the perinatal period. To be both a professional and someone navigating the crushing intensity of intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and shame.

This episode is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt:

• Afraid to name their thoughts
• Buried under guilt and ‘shoulds’
• Desperate for peace, purpose, and permission to be human

I share how I moved from hiding my pain to honouring my intuition. Using ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), regulation strategies, and radical self acceptance to come home to myself.

Listen in NOW to hear about:

Living with Perinatal OCD as a parent and a professional

How intuition became my compass

Embracing authenticity from a place of lived healing and purpose

If you’ve ever whispered “Is this normal?” in the dark, this episode is for you.

You are not broken. You are not alone. You are welcome here.

Perinatal OCD is more than just an obsession with cleanliness or order. It manifests through intrusive thoughts and compulsions that can be debilitating. For me, it began with intrusive thoughts linked to trauma, spiraling into a cycle of anxiety and self-doubt. The shame and fear associated with these thoughts often made it difficult to seek help or even acknowledge the problem.

The Impact on parenthood is a profound experience, but when coupled with mental health challenges, it can become a source of anxiety. My journey involved grappling with thoughts that targeted my deepest values—my love and care for my children. The fear of causing harm, despite knowing it was irrational, was paralyzing. It affected my ability to be present with my children, leading to feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Therapy played a crucial role in my recovery. Through exposure response prevention and acceptance and commitment therapy, I learned to unhook from intrusive thoughts and reconnect with my true self. These therapies helped me embrace uncertainty and focus on what truly matters—my values and the love I have for my family.

Balancing parenthood and mental health as a queer neurodivergent professional is an ongoing journey. It requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to seek help. By sharing my story, I hope to shed light on the realities of perinatal OCD and encourage others to seek support. Remember, you are not alone, and healing is possible.

Subscribe now to stay updated on more stories and insights into everything OT and my passion of living intuitively.

Support the show

Visit OCD ACTION for advice, support and online groups and webinars

Visit NoOCD for advice, treatment and signposting

Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2