Light in the Battle: Autism, Single Motherhood and Trauma Recovery – Details, episodes & analysis

Staying present isn’t easy when your nervous system is already overloaded. It's easier to dissociate.

In this episode, Faustina talks about what “being present” actually means for trauma survivors and neurodivergent single parents, why overwhelm shuts down connection, and how to stay grounded with an autistic child even when your body or your mind want to escape. Practical, realistic tools for single moms — no perfection required.

I do want to give credit to a major player in the ASD space, Orion Kelly, That Autistic Guy, who talks about parallel play.

Keywords: autism parenting, overstimulated parent, overwhelmed mom, trauma informed parenting, sensory overload parenting, parenting with PTSD, staying present with child, single parent, neurodivergent parent, autistic parent, PDA autism parenting, nervous system dysregulation

Breaking generational trauma for future generations is hard — especially when you’re parenting a neurodivergent child without a roadmap. It's little things you have to notice, to catch, and to do differently - one day at a time.

In this episode, we talk about how childhood trauma shows up in your parenting, why your nervous system reacts before your thoughts do, and how small, imperfect moments of awareness can break the cycle. Generational trauma doesn't have to be passed down to your bloodline, you can stop the cycle. This is for single moms recovering from abuse, healing, and trying to parent differently than what they lived.

Pro tip: going to therapy is always a good idea!

If you liked this episode, you’ll also enjoy Episode 9: The Court Date You Can’t Stop Thinking About.

• breaking generational trauma

• parenting after trauma

• trauma-informed parenting

• cycle breaking parents

• parenting a neurodivergent child

• parenting autistic child

• autism parenting support

• PDA autism parenting

• healing from abuse

• moms recovering from trauma

• overwhelmed moms

• trauma triggers in parenting

• nervous system dysregulation

• gentle parenting after trauma

• attachment repair

• reparenting yourself

• parent burnout recovery

• high conflict co-parenting support

• healing childhood wounds

• trauma response in motherhood

• how to parent differently after trauma

• why parenting feels hard after abuse

• how to break generational trauma cycles

• regulating yourself while parenting

• support for moms raising autistic kids

• trauma responses during meltdowns

• parenting when overstimulated

• surviving high conflict parenting

Detachment isn’t easy when your body is still in survival mode.

In this reflection, Faustina talks about what it’s really like to learn emotional detachment after trauma — when PTSD and panic make “staying calm” feel impossible amongst the craziness. Through her experience with EMDR and nervous system healing, she shares how true detachment isn’t about going numb, but about helping your body believe it’s finally safe.

For single mothers navigating co-parenting, high-conflict relationships, or life after emotional abuse patterns, this episode offers gentle, practical reminders that peace is something you grow into, but cannot force.

Keywords: trauma recovery, PTSD, EMDR, parenting after abuse, nervous system healing, emotional regulation, co-parenting, detachment, healing journey, single mother

How do you keep the faith when everything falls apart? How do you keep believing in a good God, when that God allowed all this to happen?

When logic fails and the path disappears, faith becomes the thread that holds us together. In this episode of Light in the Battle, Faustina reflects on trusting God when nothing makes sense—learning to surrender control, find calm in motherhood, and believe that God’s presence is constant even in pain.

A gentle reminder for Catholic mothers walking through uncertainty, raising children after trauma, and rebuilding peace through prayer.

Keywords: faith, trust in God, Christian parenting, healing after trauma, motherhood, peace, surrender, resilience, spiritual growth, trust in Jesus, listening to God's voice

Life can feel like a battle—especially for single mothers navigating co-parenting, trauma, or spiritual warfare. In this first reflection from Light in the Battle, Faustina shares gentle words on finding peace, faith, and emotional resilience when chaos surrounds you.

A quiet Christian meditation for autistic women healing from narcissistic abuse, solo parenting through hard seasons, and learning to let God fight for them.

Keywords: faith, Christian motherhood, narcissistic abuse recovery, peace in chaos, co-parenting, healing, trauma, God’s presence

Welcome to Light in the Battle, one of the rare AI-free resources available.

I'm Faustina, I'm an autistic single mom with a PDA child on the spectrum, I'm healing from narcissistic abuse patterns, I'm winning in court and I'm doing it all without a safety net.

I'm here to talk about my lived-experience, and to share battle-tested approaches to finding Light in the Battle despite the ASD, the difficult coparenting, the legal costs and the crushing weight of it all.

If you're anything like me, your reality's not going to change. How to find peace in the chaos? How do you adjust to an autism diagnosis? How do you learn to coparent in high-conflict dynamics? You *choose* to find Peace and Joy in the midst of chaos. I hope my reflections help you get there, one day at a time.

Light in the Battle is a Catholic space where we learn how to win in family court, how to soothe the nervous system, how to recover from PSTD, how to parent a neurodivergent child all the while honoring your own autism as a single mom.

How do you handle a meltdown when you're overstimulated already? How do you help your child calm down when you’re not calm yourself?

In this episode, Faustina shares small, realistic ways to co-regulate while healing — grounding tips for overstimulation, honest scripts for connection, and a reminder that repair matters more than perfection. This can be particularly difficult for autistic single mothers as there is no other adult to fall back on when we are not regulated.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also enjoy Episode 9: The Court Date You Can’t Stop Thinking About.

single parenting, autism, trauma recovery, nervous system, co-regulation, single motherhood, resilience, gentle parenting, healing hacks, coregulate, coregulation

When your mind knows you’re safe but your body doesn’t, parenting can feel overwhelming. This episode explains what trauma-triggered overwhelm actually is, and offers practical steps to calm your nervous system in real time — without pretending or forcing it. This can be particularly challenging for single mothers.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also enjoy Episode 9: The Court Date You Can’t Stop Thinking About.

More here about trauma with The Trauma Therapist Podcast.

For trauma therapy, please check out

• Episode 17, what EMDR is and what it does
• Episode 18, that's 10 ways that EMDR has transformed my life

panic, trauma recover, PTSD flare-ups while parenting, healed parent, good mother, abuse survivor

Custody battles and co-parenting conflict activate the nervous system in a deep, physical way. This episode shares grounded ways to work to break free from anxiety when you can’t stop thinking about a court hearing — without denying the reality of what’s at stake: the money side, the custody, the amount of contact that you'll have to maintain with your ex, how much control each parent has, and your child's safety.

Faustina shares how in her experience, all that anxiety about the legal battle did was rob her of her experience of the present. When she realized time was flying by, and her son was growing up, while she was spending all that time in her head preparing for potential scenarios, she decided to no longer let anxiety rob her of her son's childhood. Over time she learned to not go into that rabbit hole of rehearsing arguments, plan the hearing two or three steps ahead, brace for the consequences of a ruling... And instead, stay in the moment with her child, and stay connected to him as he grows up. There's wisdom in letting go and letting God.

For more exploration about anxiety, please see this Episode by Mel Robbins about Anxiety.

Keywords: co-parenting stress, custody battle, family court, stress, high conflict co-parent, custody anxiety, trauma-informed parenting, court stress, nervous system regulation, overwhelmed motherhood, parenting resilience, emotional grounding, parenting under stress, custody battle, legal battle, divorcing the narcissist, court hearing, coparenting stress, legal abuse, divorcing a narcissist, NPD, navigating divorce with ASD

Many mothers escape because their nervous system is overwhelmed, not because they lack strength. This episode explores the difference between rest that nourishes us and escape that numbs us — and offers simple, doable ways to create calm in small moments throughout the day.

As single mothers dealing with neurodivergence, trauma, and a lot of coparenting conflict, escaping can be the norm. It's just too much, on most days. Let's look at ways we can rest instead.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also enjoy Episode 9: TheCourt Date You Can’t Stop Thinking About.

Keywords: rest vs escape, parenting overwhelm, trauma-informed parenting, nervous system regulation, autistic parent, sensory overload, self-regulation, healing from burnout, mindful parenting, maternal burnout, parental burnout, overwhelmed motherhood, neurodivergent parenting, parenting resilience, emotional fatigue recovery, solo parenting an autistic child