The Crappy Childhood Fairy Podcast with Anna Runkle

It’s not always what you say, it’s how you say it. I’ve learned so much from listening to CCP for a short period of time. I’ve listened to other podcasts with similar topics and they never seem to address CPTSD or the complexity of common experiences. Everything is always so generalized, and the message is often harsh and critical, which is very triggering and damaging for me. (The all-too-common oversimplification of believing you can will some thing away is so tired and exhausting to hear.) It’s great to listen to someone who understands firsthand this crappy childhood struggle. The message is always clear, compassionate, and laced with humor, which I so appreciate. We don’t always have to be so serious in our learning and healing journey. I am so glad to have found a community who gets me and I hope to one day participate in an in-person meetup. On to my daily practice!

Oh Anna, if I had only found you 30 years ago! The trauma in my and my hubby’s childhood has kept us together for over 40 years, but we’ve not been on the “same team” the whole time. Neither of us could stand the thought of abandoning the other or being abandoned because we knew what that felt like.(Thanks for explaining “Abandonment Melange”). Now after listening to your podcasts for only one year, he and I are BEST FRIENDS. We have a long way to go but you have been more helpful than I can ever say. God Bless you, Anna! You’re an amazing person. Don’t forget about all of us when you become even more famous than you already are!!

I’ve been searching for a LONG time for podcasts to listen to on overcoming trauma. I felt a disconnect from every one I listened to until the crappy childhood fairy came into my life, waved her magic wand, and gave me the hope and understanding I needed to keep working on myself. Anna Runkle understands C-PTSD, what it feels like, and how to heal from it. This podcast gave me the kick I needed to start somatic therapy after years of damaging and unsuccessful talk therapy and losing faith in the healing process. Tomorrow I start somatic therapy for the first time with a new therapist. Thanks, Anna Runkle 💓. Wish me luck!

I love what Anna has done to raise awareness of CPTSD and generally is a great resource when first getting familiar with one’s trauma patterns. What I don’t appreciate how she makes fun of therapy, and even of inner child work, for example. And, confusingly, her biggest advertiser is for better help, which is therapy. I don’t get it. In her Sept 4 podcast, she was saying that the woman shouldn’t be saying “a part of me feels this way” because that’s somehow disassociating. I totally disagree. Internal family systems therapy (IFS) is very helpful for trauma recovery, and that work is specifically about relating to the parts in us that are scared or angry, or even wise. This is all about reparenting and becoming that parent to ourselves and all of the fragmented parts within that have done all these desperate things to help us survive. This isn’t disassociation, this is unblending so we can see these parts of us more clearly, the roles they have been trying to play to protect us, and then ultimately integrate them. I completely agree with her that talk therapy can actually be re-traumatizing, but some therapy can be super helpful.

I was initially really impressed and moved by this podcast. It was everything I needed to hear right when I needed to hear it. I was also in an extremely vulnerable place at the time and couldn’t afford more than one session of the type of therapy that could actually help me. So when I received a coupon for Anna’s program, I immediately joined. I thought it would have so much more than what was on the podcast and YouTube but quickly discovered I paid for almost nothing. The only difference between her YouTube channel/podcast (one and the same BTW) and her program are the group Zoom meetings and access to the private FB group. The rest is just a variation on the same themes and advice you hear on the podcast. The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars is because Anna’s program did set me on the right path to healing. But her program is a scam, and there’s a very judgmental / cultist mentality she brings to later podcasts which I can’t, in good conscience, recommend.