Repressed Memories and Childhood Sexual Abuse with Abigail Gunn

S3EP17 — Disclaimer: This episode includes discussion of sensitive topics, including abuse, sexual abuse, and childhood sexual abuse. Although there are no explicit descriptions of child sexual abuse during the episode, please take care of yourself as you listen. If this content feels overwhelming or triggering, we encourage you to pause or take a break. Your safety and well-being matter more than anything we share here.In this potent and deeply personal episode, Cara and Rythea sit down with Abigail Gunn, MsEd, LMHC, LPC, licensed therapist and founder of People Make Sense. Abigail is changing the way we talk about childhood trauma, dissociation, and recovery—with compassion, sharp clarity, and a commitment to truth.This conversation explores how parenting can become a powerful catalyst for facing your trauma. Abigail shares how having children of her own helped surface repressed memories, and how her time in Al-Anon played a key role in awakening her from long-standing dissociation.Rythea also shares her experience of retrieving her own repressed memories through dreams, writing, and reenactment in therapy. Together, Cara, Rythea, and Abby explore what happens when a child is forced to choose between their own humanity and the perceived humanity of the adults around them. They discuss how trauma shapes the developing brain, and how dissociation becomes a survival strategy that can last long into adulthood.Key Topics:Childhood trauma as a profound and formative experienceThe myth of “false memory syndrome” and its negative impact on survivorsTrauma as neurodiversity—and what it teaches us about the brainHow trauma interrupts development and distorts the crucial stage of reality testingThe weaponization of attachment, care, pleasure, and love performed by perpetratorsParenting as a trigger and pathway to memory retrievalReclaiming self-worth by placing responsibility on abusersThe body’s role in healing and bringing forth memoriesAbigail shares how recovering memories of her own childhood sexual abuse led her to challenge dominant narratives in psychology, including the myth of “False Memory Syndrome.” She brings a fierce softness to the conversation—grounded in lived experience—and reminds us that trauma is not a disorder, but a normal response to harm.Get to know Abigail Gunn and People Make Sense https://peoplemakesense.comFollow Abigail Gunn on Instagram & TikTok @people.make.senseSupport YKDS https://buymeacoffee.com/yourkidsdontsuckSupport the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/yourkidsdontsuckWe (Rythea and Cara) are white, cis-gender, straight, middle-class women living with financial and societal privilege. Our perspectives are limited and do not reflect the realities of all our listeners. We’re committed to featuring guests who differ in gender, race, class, ability, sexuality, and lived experience in order to broaden this conversation and reflect more voices. 25% of proceeds from this podcast go to creators of color who have shaped our growth and healing.Rate & Review: Moved by this episode? Leave a review and help us reach more parents and survivors walking this path. Healing is possible—and no, your kids don’t suck.