8. Why Caring So Much is Quietly Rewiring Your Nervous System and What You Need to Start doing Today

Most nurses don't recognize they have secondary traumatic stress — because it progresses so slowly they've already normalized it by the time it becomes a crisis. In this episode, Kristi Croddy applies Dr. Karen Foli's Middle-Range Theory of Nurses' Psychological Trauma to trace the four stages of the silent STS progression — from the Absorbed Shift through the Crisis Point — and explores what healing looks like through IFS parts work, somatic nervous system practices, and Christian faith. This episode is for the nurse who has stopped asking what's wrong with her, because this has just become who she is.   IN THIS EPISODE: ◆  Karen Foli's Middle-Range Theory of Nurses' Psychological Trauma — and the concept of nurse-specific trauma ◆  How the expectations gap (unmet and unrealistic expectations vs. reality) drives STS accumulation ◆  Insufficient resource trauma — what it is and why it's different from compassion fatigue ◆  The four stages of the silent STS progression: Absorbed Shift, Protective Shift, Normalization, Crisis ◆  Foli's concept of allostatic load — how repeated trauma changes the nervous system's baseline ◆  IFS: the parts behind each stage and what they needed that they never received ◆  Three somatic practices for interrupting the progression at each stage ◆  Faith: how God's presence accompanies every stage — even the ones we didn't know we were in   SCRIPTURE REFERENCED: ◆  Proverbs 4:23 — Guard your heart ◆  Psalm 18:16 — He drew me out of deep waters ◆  Isaiah 43:2 — When you pass through the waters ◆  Hebrews 10:24–25 — Not giving up meeting together ◆  Psalm 56:8 — You have collected all my tears ◆  Lamentations 3:22–23 — His compassions are new every morning   RESEARCH & CITATIONS: ◆  Foli, K.J. (2022). A Middle-Range Theory of Nurses' Psychological Trauma. Advances in Nursing Science, 45(1), 86–98. doi: 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000388 ◆  Foli, K.J. & Thompson, J.R. (2019). The Influence of Psychological Trauma in Nursing. Sigma. ◆  Foli, K.J., Reddick, B., Zhang, L., & Krcelich, K. (2020). Nurses' Psychological Trauma: 'They Leave Me Lying Awake at Night.' Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 35(2), 134–140. ◆  Gill, M.S. & Foli, K.J. (2024). Nurse Practitioner's Liminal Space: Applying Foli's Theory of Psychological Trauma. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. ◆  Depicting Occupational Trauma Concepts Impacting Nurse Well-Being During COVID-19: A Concept Delineation Using Foli's NPT Framework. International Journal of Qualitative Methods (2024). ◆  Schwartz, R.C. (1994). Internal Family Systems Therapy. Guilford Press. ◆  Porges, S.W. (2022). Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience.   Work with Kristi 1:1** If you’re ready to go deeper — to understand your system, regulate your nervous system, and heal the patterns keeping you stuck in burnout — I currently have openings for one-on-one coaching. → Work with me 1:1 **Join the Nurse Burnout Recovery Course Waitlist/Email list** The course walks you step-by-step through the nervous system work, the parts work, the identity work, and the faith integration — all designed specifically for nurses. Waitlist members get a **free post-shift recovery audio** and **early access** when doors open. Join the email and nurse burnout recovery course waitlist Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or mental health care. Please seek support from a licensed professional for your individual needs.