Dr. Sara B Dupuis, Ph.D, LP, LMFT

10/30/2025

In every moment of tension, we have a choice.
To react from habit or to respond from awareness.

Reacting often comes from old emotional patterns or protective responses that once helped us feel safe. Responding comes from being present, aware, and connected to what is truly happening right now.

When we pause before speaking or acting, we allow space for clarity, empathy, and understanding to grow. This shift doesn’t mean we avoid conflict or difficult emotions. It means we meet them with greater intention and care.

The more we practice awareness, the more we strengthen our ability to communicate clearly, build trust, and create safety in our relationships.

Awareness turns reactivity into connection. That is where healing begins.

10/29/2025

10/26/2025

When we feel overwhelmed, our nervous system goes into survival mode: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

In those states, your brain’s first priority is safety, not self-care. So you disconnect from feelings that feel “too much.”

That’s why stress can trigger old patterns, the little one inside of you who learned that being yourself wasn’t safe starts running the show again.

Self-abandonment is a survival strategy ... but it’s not a sustainable one.
Over time, it leaves you feeling numb, resentful, anxious, or detached from who you really are.

You can start by noticing “I’m overwhelmed right now. What part of me is trying to disappear?”

Then, gently ask yourself:

• What do I need in this moment?
• What does my body need to feel safe again?
• What would it look like to stay with myself instead of abandoning me?

Sometimes, self-reconnection takes support.
Working with a trauma-informed or IFS-trained therapist can help you uncover the parts of you that learned to leave yourself behind, and teach you how to love those parts back home.

You don’t have to carry stress and overwhelm alone.
You can learn to stay with yourself, even in the hard moments.

10/25/2025

When we say we feel “rejected,” we may actually be feeling:

Dismissed — like our voice or needs don’t matter.

Unwanted — like someone has withdrawn love or attention.

Invisible — like no one truly sees or values us.

Betrayed — Feeling hurt because trust was broken or loyalty wasn't returned.

Abandoned — like we’ve been left behind emotionally or physically.

Naming these underlying feelings helps us move from a vague sense of pain to a clearer understanding of what’s really happening inside. It transforms rejection from something that defines us into something that guides us, back toward our needs, our boundaries, and our capacity to self-soothe.

Rejection hurts because it disconnects us.
Healing begins when we reconnect, with our truth, our emotions, and the parts of us that still long to feel seen and loved.

TRY THIS: Reflective Prompts for Healing Rejection

“When I say I feel rejected, what am I truly feeling beneath that?”

Take a moment to slow down and name what’s really happening inside.
Is it loneliness, sadness, disappointment, or a sense of being unseen?
Giving language to your emotion helps you meet it with understanding rather than shame.

10/23/2025

Conflict is not the problem. Disconnection is.

Safety in communication begins with awareness. Notice your tone, posture, and breath before the words even come out. The nervous system feels safety long before the mind does.

When you pause to regulate your body, you give the conversation a chance to soften. Speak from your own experience instead of blame or defense. Try using language that begins with “I feel” or “I notice” instead of “You always.”

Healing communication is not about saying everything perfectly. It is about showing up with presence, curiosity, and care, even when it is hard. When both people feel seen, heard, and respected, repair becomes possible and connection can grow again.

Here at Stepping Stones Therapy, we understand how challenging communication can feel in moments of conflict. Our therapists are highly trained and experienced in helping couples build safety, deepen understanding, and reconnect with compassion.

If you are ready to strengthen your relationship, we are here to help.

10/22/2025

10/22/2025

10/20/2025

As nature releases and softens, we’re reminded to do the same.
The shift into autumn often stirs something within us, a quiet call to slow down, to listen, and to tend to what’s ready to fall away.

You may notice emotions surfacing more easily this time of year, tenderness, fatigue, even grief. This is the body and heart aligning with the natural rhythm of release. Just as the trees shed what they no longer need, we are invited to let go of what feels heavy or no longer aligned.

Allow yourself to pause and reflect.
What am I holding onto that is ready to be released
Where can I soften, even just a little
How can I create space for rest, connection, and renewal as the seasons turn

Emotional awareness is not about fixing or forcing change. It is about meeting yourself with curiosity and compassion.
This autumn, let your awareness become your teacher.

10/17/2025

Your nervous system detaches you from your own experience as a coping mechanism. This is why you might feel like you’re going through the motions but not fully present.

When your body senses extreme stress, it diverts energy away from complex thinking. This results in difficulty processing information, making decisions, or remembering things clearly.

The shutdown response slows everything down to preserve resources. This can make even basic tasks like showering, eating, or replying to a message feel exhausting.

When you’re shut down, it can feel like you’re not doing enough or not showing up for others. This can trigger deep-seated feelings of guilt or self-criticism, even though the shutdown isn’t your fault.

The part of your nervous system responsible for communication and connection (the ventral vagal system) goes offline in shutdown. This is why it feels hard to talk, express needs, or even explain what’s happening to you.

Understanding why these feelings show up helps you respond to yourself with compassion instead of frustration.

Healing starts with recognizing the shutdown for what it is: a temporary state, not a permanent reality. Through small, gentle steps—like grounding, movement, and self-compassion—you can begin to shift out of it and reconnect with yourself.

Which of these feelings do you relate to the most? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

10/17/2025

When a woman carries an unhealed mother wound, it often shapes the way she relates to herself and others, especially in adult relationships. The patterns that develop are typically unconscious attempts to earn love, approval, or safety that were inconsistent or unavailable in childhood.

She might overgive, overfunction, or try to “earn” love through caretaking.
She may equate love with struggle, thinking she has to work hard to be chosen.
Boundaries can be blurry. She may fear rejection if she says “no.”
Deep down, there’s often a belief: “If I love enough, they won’t leave me.”
She feels responsible for her mother’s emotions or siblings’ well-being.
Even as an adult, she may struggle with guilt when setting boundaries.

Healing the mother wound means learning to re-parent yourself and to give yourself the validation, tenderness, and boundaries that were missing.

This can look like:
• Recognizing your people-pleasing as a survival strategy, not your true nature.
• Building emotional safety inside your system so you can choose relationships that are reciprocal.
• Learning to say, “I am enough, even when I’m not needed.”
• Befriending the parts of you that still long for your mother’s love.
• When healing deepens, relationships shift—from ones rooted in performance and proving to ones grounded in presence and partnership.

Therapeutic approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help you meet those younger parts of you with compassion. You learn to listen to the parts that carry fear, shame, or guilt and begin to build trust with them.

Over time, you start to internalize a new kind of mothering:
• One that’s nurturing, not demanding.
• Firm, but kind.
• Grounded in presence, not perfection.

You begin to show up in relationships not from your wound, but from your wholeness. You no longer chase love; you attract it. You no longer settle for crumbs; you know your worth.
For more info on IFS click link in bio.

10/17/2025

Attachment styles shape the way we connect, communicate, and seek closeness in our relationships.

They often begin in childhood through our earliest experiences of care, safety, and comfort, and continue to shape how we love and protect ourselves in adulthood.

Learning about your attachment style is not about putting yourself in a box. It’s about understanding the emotional patterns that guide how you relate to others. With that awareness, you can begin creating relationships that feel safer, steadier, and more aligned with the kind of connection you want.

This month, we’re exploring how awareness of your attachment patterns can help you build more ease, trust, and compassion in your relationships.

If you’re curious about how these patterns show up in your life or want support in understanding them, our therapists are here to help.
💬 Learn more or schedule at the link in bio.