Colleen - Trauma & Narcissistic Abuse Therapy

29/03/2026

Oh I’m excited now ~ 3 days learning in person from Dr Ramani 👌🏻🙏🩷

13/03/2026

Over the past few years I’ve been learning something that has been quite uncomfortable for me - accepting when my capacity changes.

When we’re used to juggling many plates at once, it can be easy to start questioning ourselves when we can’t keep doing everything the same way.

I wrote a reflection about this on my blog this month.

If this resonates with you, you can read it here 🙏🩷

When life changes your capacity after grief, stress, or burnout, it can feel like you're failing. A reflection on doing your best with self-compassion.

02/03/2026

Healing doesn’t mean things will never be difficult again.

It means you have more capacity to handle whatever comes your way ~ often with more maturity, more awareness, and a different perspective.

I hear this from clients all the time:
“I just want to make sure this never happens to me again.”

And I understand that.

When you’ve been hurt deeply, it makes sense to want guarantees.

To want certainty. To want to protect yourself from ever feeling that way again.
But the truth is… none of us can control what life brings.

What we can do is build trust in ourselves.

~ Trust that if something hard does happen, we’ll see it sooner.
~Trust that we’ll respond differently. Trust that we won’t override our intuition.
~Trust that we won’t abandon ourselves in the process.

Healing isn’t about preventing every curveball.

It’s about knowing, gently, that you are more capable than you once were.

And that kind of self trust changes everything. 🖤

28/01/2026

For many people, saying no doesn’t feel simple.

It can feel unsafe, selfish, or like it needs to be justified.

But boundaries aren’t explanations.
They’re acts of self-respect.

Your no is allowed.
Your no is enough.

25/01/2026

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what truly matters ~ and this feels like a reconnection with it.

A return to what’s always mattered.
Creating from a deeply holistic place.
And showing up in ways that feel authentic and true.

If you’re on your own journey back to yourself, this is your reminder that it’s safe to pause ~ and begin again.

💛

21/01/2026

Have you ever found yourself saying yes when you really wanted to say no?

I often share resources with clients that I’ve found helpful myself, and this book is certainly one of those.

Fawning by Dr Ingrid Clayton gently explores fawning - a trauma response that’s often misunderstood or mislabelled, and for many people, never named at all.

Fawning can look like becoming more of what’s acceptable… or less of who we really are.
It can be visible or quiet. Obvious or hidden.
But at its core, it’s about finding safety in an unsafe world, often at our own expense.

I’ve recommended this book to many clients, and it’s one of the few resources people have reached out about between sessions to share how deeply seen they felt by it.

Sharing this here, in case it offers language, understanding, or a little less shame - for you, or someone you care about. 🩷🙏

19/01/2026

Box breathing uses equal inhale, pause, exhale, and pause.
That structure can feel grounding when your system is activated or stuck in high alert.

You don’t need to do it perfectly.
If four feels like too much, shorten the count and go gently.

18/01/2026

A conscious start to the week.

Before diving into the to-do lists and routines, take a moment to pause. Ask yourself what truly matters, how you want to feel, and what you need more of.

You don’t have to rush. You don’t have to do it all. You just have to begin with awareness. 🌿

What conscious intention are you setting for yourself this week?

15/01/2026

Sometimes healing includes relearning that you have rights ~

especially when they were once taken away.

🤍

13/01/2026

I’m always aware that the real work is done by the client.

I simply get the privilege of walking beside them for part of their journey.

🙏🤍

05/01/2026

One of the hardest parts of narcissistic relationships is that what’s happening doesn’t become clear straight away.

It unfolds slowly. In my latest blog, I explore some of the phases you may find yourself moving through.

https://colleenbrown.com.au/slow-unravelling-narcissistic-relationships/

24/12/2025

I want to acknowledge those who are missing someone this Christmas.

Whether it’s your first year, or many years on, grief doesn’t disappear just because time has passed.

Often, as the years go by, people stop checking in. Not because they don’t care, but because 'life goes on' and we don’t speak about it as much anymore.

But the grief is still there.

I know this in our household. It comes in waves. Sometimes big ones. I let it come. I cry. And I also let myself feel joy - because both can be true.

So I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that someone is thinking of you this Christmas. 🎄🤍🙏