TRIGGER WARNING: Episode contains graphic details from medical procedures and trauma, mental health and suicide, and institutional abuse.

This is a special episode previously recorded back in March 2025 with just Brooke (before Burning The Couch even came to fruition) and Jeff. The hope here is to connect Jeff to resources, support, and to help him reclaim his story that was wrongfully silenced.

We are unpacking how the systems we believe that are there to serve us, help us, protect us - often fail us and even terrorize us.

Jeff has been a client of Brooke's since 2020, and has been hit with every challenge, barrier, hurdle, you name it - known to man. This episode has been recorded and distributed with his consent.

Brooke & Jeff discuss how in just one part of his story - medically - how the medical system has caused him incredible amounts of trauma, neglect, mental torture, pain, fear, isolation, financial ruin, and more with a botched hip replacement in 2022.

Could you imagine walking around and unsure if your literal leg will detach from your body? That's what Jeff lived with for almost 2 full years and could not receive the proper medical care to have it repaired....

We discuss the multiple hip dislocations, ER trips, surgeries, and more that Jeff endured. The main goal of this episode is to help Jeff reclaim his story, and hopefully reach others that have possibly gone through the same events that could provide advice or tangible resources for his recovery.

Due to his hip, he unfortunately lost his job (legal cases pending due to unlawful discrimination) but this has caused major financial downfall as well since November 2024.

Jeff's life is quite literally like a series of unfortunate events... TBD if we will record more information but he seriously faces a million uphill challenges it seems - and we want to further unpack how the systems we believe are in place to help us - don't. They abuse us.

Jeff is a Veteran, and the VA has provided little to no support. He is also still fighting for any disability currently... which is WILD to Brooke being a therapist and filling out the disability forms.

Let us know if you'd like to hear more from Jeff in the comments!

Nikki is a survivor, profound poet, and childless cat lady that experienced estrangement over political views earlier in 2025 from JD’s family. She is a relative to JD Vance and a major part of her adolescence was raised by JD's father after her own father's accidental death.

We dive into her upbringing among high control religion (Christianity) and how it parallels to authoritarian systems, families, and government - and how she began to deconstruct from her religious views in her teens after experiencing tremendous trauma and abandonment.

This is just one of many potential conversations we can have about how systems all mirror each other, especially abusive/authoritarian systems. in our current events.

Brooke and Diana continue to share bits of their stories and survival and how this all intertwines.

At Burning the Couch - it is our mission to help liberate survivors from the oppression and silencing they've faced. We truly are honored to have Nikki with us, and her first podcast debut.

Please support Nikki and her amazing work:

Substack: https://substack.com/@nikkimccarty9?utm_source=about-page

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Nikki_McCarty_9?utm_source=searchhttps://www.patreon.com/Nikki_McCarty_9?utm_source=search

Poetry Book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/buried-before-winter-nikki-mccarty/23873cc01d64dfd3?ean=9798218852283&next=t

TRIGGER WARNING: Sensitive topics discussed along the lines of domestic violence and relationship abuse.

Brooke & Diana dive into their experience in various conservative, MAGA communities and systems - and take on the lens of how domestic violence follows an identical pattern of abuse weaponized by the government, churches, communities and families. All enact isolation, fear, shame, control, coercion, domination, and hierarchy to keep members "in line" and not have individual identities, values, beliefs, and aspirations.

The purpose of this podcast is to illustrate how some members of MAGA may feel threatened or coerced into representing MAGA due to the true reality of being outcasted like Brooke in 2020 from her own family - and how it mimics the process of escaping DV.

"Why don't they just vote blue??!" is similar to DV survivors when you say "Why didn't she just leave!?"

It's incredibly nuanced, and our psychology will always choose connection to our family or "tribe" over moral values most of the time. It takes a high amount of self introspection, courage, self regulation, and community/resources to leave environments (cults) like this.

Part 2 will cover the in depth look at how your nervous system responds to disconnection, shame, and aggression from both Brooke & Diana's lived experience.

Need support? In an active crisis, dial 911 or head to your nearest emergency department. This is not a substitute for therapy, medical care, or legal advice. Seek out shelter from your local domestic violence agency if you feel in danger.

https://www.domesticshelters.org/

MORE INFO ON BROOKE'S SUBSTACK ABOUT AMERICA & ABUSE

https://substack.com/@brookelalonelmft?utm_source=user-menu

CONTACT US:

burningthecouch@gmail.com

Instagram and Facebook @burningthecouchpodcast

JOIN BROOKE'S FREE COMMUNITY:

https://www.skool.com/reclaiming-me-healing-6553

Want to learn more about Brooke?:

reclaimingmehealing.com

reclaimingmehealing@gmail.com

Instagram & Facebook: @Reclaimwith Brooke

Trigger Warning: Domestic violence, suicide, sexual assault, reproductive coercion sensitive topics discussed.

Part 2 dives a bit deeper into how Diana's therapist continually gave her homework while enabling the abuse - especially around intimacy and physical touch....

If this is your experience in therapy, this is not normal.

Diana dives deep and shares her experience in couples therapy while in her abusive marriage. Couples therapy is highly NOT recommended for those who are in domestic violence/abusive relationships.

Brooke discusses why she believes many therapists truly do not understand the covert tactics in abuse like coercive control - and therefore will potentially miss the violence cycle.

Brooke and Diana discuss how Diana's therapist missed the signs, and even aligned with her abuser - creating an even more dangerous environment at home for her. Diana explains how she felt while under this pressure and when she realized that she needed to end the relationship & couples therapy.

If you feel like you've experienced reproduction coercion, please understand that is a major sign of abuse not widely discussed as well.

Need support? In an active crisis, dial 911 or head to your nearest emergency department. This is not a substitute for therapy, medical care, or legal advice. Seek out shelter from your local domestic violence agency if you feel in danger.

https://www.domesticshelters.org/

burningthecouch@gmail.com

Instagram and Facebook @burningthecouchpodcast

JOIN BROOKE'S FREE COMMUNITY:

https://www.skool.com/reclaiming-me-healing-6553

Want to learn more about Brooke?:

reclaimingmehealing.com

reclaimingmehealing@gmail.com

Instagram & Facebook: @Reclaimwith Brooke

Trigger Warning: Domestic violence, suicide, reproductive coercion sensitive topics discussed.

Diana dives deep and shares her experience in couples therapy while in her abusive marriage. Couples therapy is highly NOT recommended for those who are in domestic violence/abusive relationships.

Brooke discusses why she believes many therapists truly do not understand the covert tactics in abuse like coercive control - and therefore will potentially miss the violence cycle.

Brooke and Diana discuss how Diana's therapist missed the signs, and even aligned with her abuser - creating an even more dangerous environment at home for her. Diana explains how she felt while under this pressure and when she realized that she needed to end the relationship & couples therapy.

If you feel like you've experienced reproduction coercion, please understand that is a major sign of abuse not widely discussed as well.

Need support? In an active crisis, dial 911 or head to your nearest emergency department. This is not a substitute for therapy, medical care, or legal advice. Seek out shelter from your local domestic violence agency if you feel in danger.

https://www.domesticshelters.org/

burningthecouch@gmail.com

Instagram and Facebook @burningthecouchpodcast

JOIN BROOKE'S FREE COMMUNITY:

https://www.skool.com/reclaiming-me-healing-6553

Want to learn more about Brooke?:

reclaimingmehealing.com

reclaimingmehealing@gmail.com

Instagram & Facebook: @Reclaimwith Brooke

Solo episode with Brooke as she dives in deep about how her GoFundMe and social media were used against her in the mental health world.... and left her wide open and at risk for her license being reported.

Despite it being a very chaotic and beyond stressful time period - Brooke used this to fuel her transformation from a therapist into a recovery coach for women reclaiming their lives and voices after trauma and abuse.

Brooke discusses how this caused a major revelation and saw how the mental health system can discriminate and be oppressive. Unfortunately - the ethics can cause us to continue to shrink and appear to have it "all together" which forces us to endure trauma and oppression in silence. Of course, ethics can be a good tool to ensure professionalism, but not all ethics codes are current, to into account social media, and are white washed.

This instance showed Brooke how other therapists can be incredibly biased, and also misogynistic - even female therapists deeming themselves trauma informed.

Check out Burning The Couch's new Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582211996393

Want to work with Brooke? Brooke offers 1:1 Coaching to help women reclaim their voices and liberate their lives. Let's break the Good Girl persona altogether!

https://www.reclaimingmehealing.com/booking-calendar/the-reclamation-tier-1-coaching?referral=service_list_widget

Brooke also offers spiritual guidance:

https://www.reclaimingmehealing.com/booking-calendar/psychic-reading?referral=service_list_widget

Join Brooke's FREE community for empowerment and tangible support:

https://www.skool.com/reclaiming-me-healing-6553

Trigger Warning: Mental health, violence, suicide, self harm discussed.

Solo episode - Brooke dives deep in her history of how she was modeled abusive behaviors from childhood up until currently. Domestic violence is a public health crisis currently. Most individuals who become victim to this - grew up in similar environments. Domestic violence does not happen in a vacuum. It's generationally upheld and modeled. We miss the warning signs of an unhealthy person and relationship since the red flags feel like home.

A vast majority of violence is actually not physical. Majority of DV is emotional, mental, financial, social, and more. It's a series of behaviors meant to intimidate, threaten, control and destabilize another individual. A lot of families operate in abusive ways. Most centering around image management. We all know that Facebook grandparent who cannot show up to do the real emotional labor to support their family.

This is not legal advice or a substitute for therapy. Dial 911 if you are in a life threatening situation or managing a mental health crisis.

Want to work with Brooke? www.reclaimingmehealing.com

Brooke coaches survivors to reclaim their voice and liberate themselves from trauma and abuse.

Welcome to our first episode! Brooke introduces how Burning The Couch came to mind, and her co-host. Both Brooke and her co-host (anonymous for safety precautions) discuss how their relationship impacted both of their healing journeys through Domestic Violence.

Here's the twist - Brooke was the therapist to her co-host. So despite some ethical arguments here on all ends of the therapy spectrum - they both realize that traditional systems and ways of healing just do not cut it when healing from profound abuse and trauma, not just in their romantic relationships - but since childhood.

At Burning The Couch, we will also be talking about systemic abuse and injustice. We will be interviewing other survivors and professionals to uncover how the systems we believe protect us - only harm us.