EPISODE 89: ALYSSA G.

"I was the kind of kid that made friends with my bully," Alyssa told Renée. This didn't help her much, because the bullying was rampant. She was bullied at school all day, every year, only to come home to the biggest bully of all: her father. Add to that the facts that Alyssa grew up racially isolated and that her parents' divorce only intensified her father's abuse, and you get a nasty web of complex trauma. Alyssa comes to the show looking for help with the present, however, specifically a friend break-up that she can't get over. As is so often the case, it turns out that the emotions of the present are tangled up in the past, so Renée helps Alyssa develop a plan to untangle them. Alyssa is not only smart, articulate, and creative; she also laughs easily, which is particularly impressive given the many pain points in her history. And at only 22, that pain is still fresh. Alyssa shares her story with humor and vulnerability, and Renée points her towards the healing that will put her many years of therapy to good use.Support the show