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When Life Feels Out of Control: How I Discovered I Was the Adult Child of an Alcoholic

Does your life feel out of control? Do you find yourself feeling stuck, angry, and resentful, and no matter how hard you try to be nice, or kind, or considerate, you only end up feeling worse? Dear One, that is no accident, as you will learn in this incredible breakthrough episode podcast.  Before Lisa A. Romano was diagnosed with codependency, she lived her life prioritizing others’ needs, unaware that her lack of self-awareness, her inability to put herself first, or even to have her needs recognized, was rooted in trauma and missing information. Once Lisa was diagnosed with codependency and learned from an intuitive therapist that she was the adult child of unrecovered adult children of alcoholics, and possibly even dry alcoholics, the wheels in her mind started to turn.

From there, Lisa hit the books and the ground running, consuming every book and mentor she could to help her unwind her mind from self-loathing, hypervigilance, negative self-talk, insecurity, and deep feelings of shame and inadequacy. By adding new data into her data bank of self-understanding, through a ferocious and tenacious will, slowly Lisa’s entire inner self-perception began to shift, and like a Rubik’s cube, her life started reorganizing itself.  Lisa A. Romano is the first to tell you that healing is ugly, terrifying, and lonesome, and she will also ask that you accept the quest despite this, because it is the only way to break through the thick matrix caused by generational trauma. If you are the adult child of an alcoholic, or if you were raised by toxic, narcissistic, wounded, immature, or codependent parents, or if you grew up in what seemed like a normal family but felt emotionally neglected, this podcast episode will resonate with you. 

This episode is a must-listen if you:

  • Grew up with a parent who struggle with alcoholic parents.

  • You are the grandchild of an alcoholic.

  • You feel stuck, angry and like your life is out of control.

  • Ache to understand yourself, and how your subconsicous mind controls your emotions, reactions, thinking, and your expectation all outside of conscious awareness. 

? Pro tip: Understanding how your childhood has impacted how you ‘think’ today, how you ‘react’, and what you expect to occur in your life is you activating metacognition. Childhood trauma resides at the subconscious. Lisa’s methods help you breakthrough!

Begin Your Healing Journey:

Lisa introduces her signature 12 Week Breakthrough Method—a trauma-informed, psychologist approaved, neuroscience-based coaching program designed for adult children of narcissistic, neglectful, or emotionally immature parents.

Inside the program, you’ll discover:

  • Brain retraining techniques rooted in neuroscience.

  • Inner child healing and self-concept reorganization.

  • Journaling prompts and assessments to increase self-awareness.

  • Tools to stop subconscious self-abandonment and live authentically.

  • How to integrate shadow work and break toxic generational patterns.

Thousands have transformed their lives with this method—learning to step out of survival mode and into authentic, empowered living.

???? Learn more: https://www.lisaaromano.com/12-wbcp

#CodependencyRecovery #ParentingPatterns #GenerationalHealing #TraumaInformedHealing #InnerChildHealing #EmotionalNeglect #ComplexTrauma #ConsciousParenting #SelfAbandonment #adultchildrenofalcoholics #codependency #lisaaromanopodcast #narcissisticparents #selfhelp #mentalhealthtips #savemylife #healmylife 

Borderline Personality and Codependency: Signs You Were Raised by Narcissistic Parents

Borderline personality disorder can be understood as the extreme version of codependency, where, at the core are adult adult children who have suffered from abandonment, rejection, abuse, neglect, and trauma. When an innocent child is unable, through no fault of their own, to connect with their primary caregiver, and especially when that caregiver is actually a source of pain, suffering and instability, the brain of that child is forced to live from the plane of survival. Due to default settings of the personality, brain and nervous system, for the one who has been denied a healthy attachment and who at the same time, also learned that they could not and should not trust the one caring for them, the inner world becomes trapped below the veil of consciousness, living in fear of the love the being so desperately craves. 

How Narcissistic Parents Contribute to Borderline Personality Development

Children of narcissistic parents often grow up in environments marked by emotional unpredictability. One moment, the parent may be intrusive, critical, or controlling, and the next they may be cold, withdrawn, or dismissive. This creates a push-pull dynamic where the child never feels secure. Over time, this instability fragments the child’s developing sense of self. Because their emotional needs are dismissed or punished, the child learns to fear abandonment while simultaneously fearing engulfment. They internalize the belief that love is unstable, unsafe, and conditional. 

As adults, this unresolved conflict can manifest as borderline traits:

Intense fear of abandonment

Unstable self-image

Difficulty regulating emotions

Stormy, chaotic relationships

These symptoms are not “character flaws” but survival adaptations to a childhood where the parent’s narcissism left no room for stable, secure attachment.

How Narcissistic Parents Create Codependency

While borderline traits stem from instability, codependency develops from self-abandonment. In a narcissistic home, children quickly learn that their parent’s approval, affection, or even basic safety hinges on meeting the parent’s emotional needs. 

The child becomes hypervigilant, scanning the parent for shifts in mood, anticipating outbursts, and adapting themselves to keep the peace. This conditioning teaches the child: “My needs don’t matter.” “I must earn love by taking care of others.” “If I say no, I’ll lose connection.”

As adults, these children often:

Over-function in relationships

Prioritize others’ needs above their own

Struggle to set boundaries without guilt

Confuse love with caretaking or control

This is the essence of codependency: a pattern of chronic self-abandonment rooted in early survival strategies.

? Bottom line: Both borderline personality traits and codependency share the same root wound — a lack of secure, validating parental love. One path (borderline) reflects the inner chaos of unstable attachment, while the other (codependency) reflects the learned habit of self-erasure for connection. Both are survival strategies that can be unlearned through conscious healing, reparenting, and building self-trust.

Ready to breakthrough these subconscious patterns?

Start here with The 12 Week Breakthrough Method

#borderlinepersonality #childhoodtraumarecoverypodcast #codependencyrecovery #innerchildhealing #mentalhealthpodcast #lisaaromanopodcast #narcissisticmother #narcissisticparents #selfawareness #selfdevelopment #healingjourney #awakening #higherself #consciousness 

 

Narcissists Crumble When You Choose This Path

The best way to stop focusing and ruminating about narcissists in your life is to close your eyes and fall in love with the self. Ancient Persian Philosopher Rumi is an excellent example of how to break up with, let go of, divorce, and go no contact with narcissists in your life. In this lesson, you will learn what Rumi has to say about releasing narcissists from your life, and why doing so is terrifying yet brings emotional freedom at the same time.

Healing from narcissistic abuse, requires that you release resistance to the pain manipulation, gaslighting, triangulation, smear campaigns and discard have created. Through radical self awareness, and acceptance, we discover the power of sacred wisdom as it pertains to choosing nonresistance. A narcissist will never follow you into solitude. When you embrace solitude, narcissists will run away because in solitude their masks fall. And that’s why you must travel into the silence within. Codependency is akin to spiritual death. It implies you are living in denial of what is, and running from reality. The answer lies in climbing the ladder of the mind, from the subconscious to the higher conscious realms. But first, we must figure out where you are now and at what level of awareness do you reside.

Feel free to take my FREE Codependency Quiz to discover more. ? Take my FREE Codependency Quiz ???? https://www.lisaaromano.com 

 “I know it’s painful”, Rumi says, yet he says, “Walk this way anyway.” That’s how I feel about The 12 Week Breakthrough Program.

 Let’s peel back decades of layers of the subconscious mind and teach you the skills you need to live emotionally free, unbound by the chains of the past.

Work with me this July, 2025 Join early and save $500 

https://www.lisaaromano.com/12wbcp

 ???? Work With Me One to One ?? coach@lisaaromano.com

 It is not you, it is only your programming. Your higher self is free, but your inner child is stuck. All you need are tools, an experienced guide, and the grit to stick to this healing journey when the going gets tough. Remember, steel is forged through fire, and diamonds appear only when enough force is applied. You can develop a stainless steel spine, and my three-part healing framework helps you achieve unbound emotional freedom.

The 12 Week Breakthrough Program

The 8 Week Master Class

Soul School, a 10 Week Course in the Quantum Science of Love Consciousness.

We got this.

New to the inner voyage of transformation?

No worries, read The Road Back to Me to activate higher consciousness. Follow that up with My Road Beyond the Codependent Divorce, Codependent Now What? Codependency Manifesto, Quantum Tools to Heal Your Life Now and then Loving the Self Affirmations volumes 1 and 2

Narcissists: You’re NOT Their Slave But They Treat You Like They Are

Have you ever felt like someone’s psychological slave, as if every thought you have, you must worry what someone in your life is going to think or feel? If you have ever loved a narcissist, you may have slowly lost yourself overtime and not even realized it until you felt like you were going crazy or like you were losing your mind. A narcissist lives in a very unique fantasy world, in their mind, and you are merely an actor in their play. You do not exist as an autonomous 3D human being, with your own unique beliefs, needs, expectations, emotions or opinions, at least not in their heads you don’t. No, you play a role in their life and whether you realize it or not, in their eyes, you are their psychological slave and you are to bend when they blow.

Lisa A. Romano, a breakthrough life coach, and expert in codependency and narcissistic abuse recovery, clearly explains in this episode how a narcissist uses their perception as a weapon of manipulation against you. Additionally, a special warning goes out to those who struggle with self-doubt, low self-worth, and the need to be understood, needed, and who identify as codependent. You have been conditioned since childhood to seek validation outside yourself to feel worthy. Dear One, you are a prime target for narcissistic abuse. 

Listen good! In this episode Lisa is going to help you develop that stainless steel spine all codependents and those who have been psychologically manipulated by narcissists need to strive for on their transformation journey from inner wounds to inner strength. 

Work with Lisa here:

Codependency Recovery Accelerator

Apply for her VIP Mastermind Groups

VIP Mastermind Group Coaching

Listen to One of Lisa’s Books for Free

Books 

Join Lisa in Person at the Art of Living Center in May

3 Day Inner Child Retreat

Get Selfish Now: Here’s Why

Have your inner wounds ever stopped you from setting a boundary or speaking your truth? If so, this episode of Breakdown to Breakthrough with Codependency Expert and Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Life Coach is for you. In this episode, you will find the encouragement you need to go from the fear of disapproval to the approval of self, knowing the value of divine selfishness.

Let’s face it, it’s impossible to tap into your dreams, attract wealth, get healthy or manifest the type of love relationships or friendships we desire if we do not honor the self. Lisa A. Romano is an expert in the self healing, mental and emotional wellness space and she is dropping pearls of golden wisdom for the one who is ready to be codependent no more, self reliant and unapologetically operating from self love. 

Ready to transform those inner wounds to inner strength? If so, it’s time to invest in yourself, and your authentic self with The 12 Week Breakthrough Codependency Bootcamp System. Break free of faulty beliefs tied to the wounds of the inner child and start living from your authentic self in 12 weeks or less.

Grab this offer before the price increase! 

https://www.lisaaromano.com/12-wbcp

 

Master Detachment in Relationships: Feel Safe in Your Body Again

Do you often feel unsafe in your body, and like you have to stay super focused on what people say or do? And are you tired of how exhausted and drained you feel because you feel so on edge? If so, this episode is for you. Lisa A. Romano Life Coach and award winning author, shares how you can learn to feel safe in your body again, despite a childhood that has left you with invisible scars.  Hypervigilance is a trauma response and although it may have kept you feeling safe as a child, this survival response can wreak havoc on all areas of your life. The good news is, that Lisa is an expert in healing the mind, body and soul, through her groundbreaking approach to healing at the level of the subconscious. Int his session, learn to better understand how to master detachment in relationships. 

If you’re codependent and hypervigilant, this episode is for you.

Are you sick and tired of living out painful childhood experiences? If so, join Lisa in her upcoming 12 Week Breakthrough Program beginning soon! 

Breakthrough Codependency in 12 Weeks or Less 

Embark on the path to conscious awakening, emotional healing, and transformation with Lisa’s Conscious Healing Academy, which includes a 3 tier coaching system that assists with one’s awakening, emotional intelligence, and mental and emotional mastery. 

12 Week Breakthrough Program (Level One – The Awakening)

8 Week Master Your Reality (Level 2 — Deliberate Creating)

Soul School – (Level Three — Ascending Ego)

To learn more, contact Lisa and her team members here;

Contact

Website

Spotify

Award Winning Books 

Facebook Support Group

Codependent People Live in a Box: Breakthrough Codependency and Start Living an Authentic Life

Why do codependents seem to attract emotionally unavailable partners while unknowingly pushing away healthy, loving individuals? In this episode, Lisa A. Romano unpacks the subconscious patterns rooted in childhood that drive these relationship dynamics. You’ll learn how unresolved wounds from emotional neglect, abandonment, or inconsistent love set the stage for repeating toxic cycles in adulthood. Codependent people live in a box, and until they breakthrough codependency, which resides as a pattern and paradigm in the subconscious minds, it is not possible to live an authentic life. 

Through self understanding and practical insights, we explore:

  • How the need to feel “needed” blinds codependents to red flags.
  • Why healthy partners may feel too “boring” or unfamiliar.
  • The role of self-worth and inner child healing in breaking these patterns.
  • Steps to begin attracting the right partners by cultivating self-awareness and self-love.

If you’ve ever wondered why you feel drawn to partners who repeat the pain of your past or struggle to trust when someone truly loves you, this episode is for you.

Resources:

Ready to start healing and attract the love you deserve? Tune in to discover actionable steps for overcoming codependent patterns and stepping into your power. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who might need it, and leave a review to help others find this content.

#CodependencyRecovery #InnerChildHealing #HealthyRelationships

Narcissistic Mother: Consequences of Maternal Emotional Neglect

Growing up with a narcissistic mother leaves deep emotional scars. ????? In this episode, we unpack the long-term consequences of emotional neglect, including struggles with self-worth, codependency, and a constant fear of abandonment. ???? Learn how these early wounds shape your relationships and behaviors—and, more importantly, discover steps to reclaim your power, reconnect with your authentic self, and break free from the cycle of pain. ?

Listen now and take the first step toward emotional freedom!

???? Key Topics:

  • Signs of emotional neglect in childhood
  • How narcissistic parenting impacts self-perception
  • The connection between emotional wounds and adult behaviors
  • Actionable steps to heal and set boundaries

???? Tune in to start your healing journey today!

Make 2025 your breakthrough year and join Lisa in her next live online course, beginning February 9th. Participate from anywhere in the world. Follow the course material online at your leisure throughout the week, and join Lisa and her life coaches daily in a private support group. Every Saturday at 9:00 am EST, join a live group coaching call where Lisa answers members’ questions. 

Join Lisa’s efforts to awaken consciousness one breakthrough at a time despite a painful past. It’s not you–it’s your programming. 

Join Lisa this February. Early Bird Discount Going on Now

Embark on the path to conscious awakening, emotional healing, and transformation with Lisa’s Conscious Healing Academy, which includes a 3 tier coaching system that assists with one’s awakening, emotional intelligence, and mental and emotional mastery. 

12 Week Breakthrough Program (Level One – The Awakening)

8 Week Master Your Reality (Level 2 — Deliberate Creating)

Soul School – (Level Three — Ascending Ego)

To learn more, contact Lisa and her team members here;

Contact

Website

Spotify

Award Winning Books 

Facebook Support Group

Tags:

#NarcissisticMother #EmotionalNeglect #InnerChildHealing #CodependencyRecovery #PodcastEpisode #EmotionalFreedom #HealingJourney #ToxicRelationships #SelfWorth #SelfHealing

How to Trust Love Again: Overcoming the Pain of Betrayal

Betrayal trauma can be one of the most challenging experiences to overcome. Loving and trusting someone such as a friend, partner, lover or spouse only to have them betray that trust in some way, crushes us to our core as human beings. If you are codependent, or have grown up with emotional neglect, or have been raised by a narcissistic parent, being betrayed will activate your deepest unhealed wounds. Lisa’s work mirrors her personal mental and emotional victories. Through tremendous painful life changes, Lisa discovered her path from suffering to strength was anchored in how well she could still her mind, observe faulty beliefs, and organize her thoughts in alignment with the truth of her true identity, which she eventually recognized as spiritual and sacred in nature, despite what or who was happening outside of her. 

In this episode, Lisa shares her modern sage-like wisdom to those seeking to end their internal suffering through the power of an organized mind.

You can work with Lisa in her upcoming 12 Week Course, which begins on February 9th.  This program is a healing system that slowly teaches students the art of inner regulation, while navigating strong emotions, memories and faulty beliefs.  Lisa is proof that the only way to end suffering is to master the inner landscape and her unique tools and groundbreaking approach is recommended by psychologists and therapists as a tool to help their clients find their sacred connection to their divine self. 

Register for this transformational program Here

Ignoring a Narcissist: The Power They Hope You Never Discover Within YOU

Narcissistic abuse causes brainfog, mental confusion, emotional insecurity and paralyzing self doubt. Cognitive dissonance implies our minds are at war with two opposite beliefs, ideas or emotions. On one side, we may have been duped and manipulated into believing the narcissist we love is altruistic, and kind, while on the other, we may be feeling manipulated and taken advantage of. Until we can decide on what is true for us, our minds remain deadlocked, and we are prime targets for narcissistic others. 

In this episode, Lisa A. Romano, Breakthrough Life Coach, award-winning author, and expert in the field of codependency and narcissistic abuse, will learn about the power of ignoring a narcissist. As a mental and emotional wellness expert who has dedicated the past three decades of her life designing mental and emotional training skills to help survivors empower themselves from a controlled, stabilized state of awareness, Lisa explains the hidden power each narcissistic abuse victim has and how to begin mastering this internal process she says a narcissist hopes you never learn to cultivate, appreciate or practice. 

If you’re ready to expand your mind and your life, it’s time to buckle up for this episode of Breakdown to Breakthrough with Lisa A. Romano 

Make 2025 your breakthrough year and join Lisa in her next live online course, beginning February 9th. Participate from anywhere in the world. Follow the course material online at your leisure throughout the week, and join Lisa and her life coaches daily in a private support group. Every Saturday at 9:00 am EST, join a live group coaching call where Lisa answers members’ questions. 

Join Lisa’s grassroots efforts to awaken consciousness one breakthrough at a time despite a painful past. It’s not you–it’s your programming. 

Join Lisa this February. Early Bird Discount Going on Now

Embark on the path to conscious awakening, emotional healing, and transformation with Lisa’s Conscious Healing Academy, which includes a 3 tier coaching system that assists with one’s awakening, emotional intelligence, and mental and emotional mastery. 

12 Week Breakthrough Program (Level One – The Awakening)

8 Week Master Your Reality (Level 2 — Deliberate Creating)

Soul School – (Level Three — Ascending Ego)

To learn more, contact Lisa and her team members here;

Contact

Website

Spotify

Award Winning Books 

Facebook Support Group

 

 

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