Ashley Love's Mental Health Counseling

04/30/2026

03/24/2026

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Anxiety is not just in the mind.
It is a physiological state.

A nervous system that has learned to associate uncertainty with danger
will keep activating the same circuits:

heightened amygdala reactivity
chronic sympathetic activation
elevated cortisol
persistent hypervigilance

Overthinking feels like control.
But biologically, it reinforces the signal that something is wrong.

The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty.
That is not possible.

The goal is to retrain the body
to experience uncertainty without activating a threat response.

Because longevity is not only built through nutrition, exercise, or sleep.

It is also built through
how safe your nervous system feels over time. Repost from .longevity

01/12/2026

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Your nervous system thrives on consistency, not perfection.
Start with the basics: nourish your body, prioritize sleep, move daily, practice mindfulness, and build gratitude over time.
Regulation is built from the ground up. 🧠✨Repost from .michaelmurray

10/06/2025

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You might not use the words "emotional safety," but you probably have felt its absence. You know the feeling when you have that anxious pit in your stomach. You start overthinking, and when they're around, you feel the pressure to perform, please, or completely disappear parts of yourself just to hold onto the connection.

Even though you don't have the words for it, your body knows it doesn't feel safe. Your nervous system often knows before your brain has the words to explain it.

True safety in relationships feels calm, connected, and trusting in your body. It's the difference between walking on eggshells and being excited to see and spend time with your partner. You know you're seen and safe.

If you've ever asked yourself:

💬 "Why do I react this way?"

💬 "Why do I feel so anxious in relationships?"

💬 "Why can I just calm down?"

I wrote a blog post just for you. Inside, I unpack what emotional safety actually looks and feels like, why your nervous system resists unsafe love, and how to begin creating safety.

Repost from
Safety is the foundation for the lasting, healthy relationships you're longing for. 🧡

09/04/2025

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Overthinking everything is exhausting…

High functioning anxiety. ADHD traits. HSP sensitivity. Perfectionism. Autism traits. They overlap so much and most people are walking around with the wrong tools for their wiring.

That’s why it feels like nothing you’ve tried sticks.

Repost from

07/29/2025

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🧠 The Science of Narcissistic Trauma

Narcissistic trauma is a form of psychological trauma that results from prolonged exposure to narcissistic abuse. Narcissistic abuse includes manipulation, gaslighting, devaluation, emotional neglect, and intermittent reinforcement (love-bombing followed by withdrawal).

1. Brain and nervous system impacts
• Hypervigilance: The amygdala (threat detection centre) becomes overactive, leading to anxiety and constant scanning for danger.
• Hippocampus shrinkage: Chronic stress can reduce the size and functioning of the hippocampus, impairing memory and learning.
• Prefrontal cortex dysregulation: Trauma affects decision-making, impulse control, and planning, as the brain remains stuck in survival mode.

2. Trauma bonding
• Narcissistic abuse often creates trauma bonds, where the victim feels deeply attached to the abuser despite harm.
• Intermittent reinforcement releases dopamine, strengthening the bond, while cortisol and adrenaline maintain the cycle of fear and hope.

3. Identity erosion
• Victims often experience loss of self-identity, confidence, and autonomy due to constant criticism, gaslighting, and invalidation.
• Over time, the brain adapts by prioritising the abuser’s needs over one’s own, creating patterns of self-abandonment.

4. Long-term health consequences
• C-PTSD (Complex PTSD): Emotional flashbacks, dissociation, hyperarousal, and chronic guilt or shame.
• Somatic symptoms: Digestive issues, headaches, chronic pain, and immune dysregulation due to prolonged stress.
• Attachment injuries: Difficulty trusting others, fearing abandonment or enmeshment in future relationships

💡 Healing narcissistic trauma

✅ Nervous system regulation (breathwork, grounding, somatic therapies).
✅ Psychoeducation to understand manipulation tactics and break cognitive dissonance.
✅ Rebuilding self-trust and identity through therapy, journaling, and safe connections.
✅ Trauma-informed boundaries to reclaim autonomy and prevent future exploitation.
EmotionalAbuse

07/26/2025

At first, you’re going to think this person is everything you ever dreamed of. They are attentive, giving, romantic, exciting, and, well, a bit obsessed with you. If you’re not used to getting this level of attention, you might be super into it at first. Unfortunately, though, love bombing is a pretty sure sign that an unhealthy relationship is headed your way.

While you’re raking in the attention, gifts, and dates, you might be missing these red flags:

🚩 Intense attention can often be an attempt to establish control by creating emotional dependency.

🚩 Rushing in a relationship limits your time to think clearly and evaluate red flags

🚩 Lavish gifts can make you feel indebted or create a sense of obligation, which can later be leveraged for control or create guilt

🚩 Talking “soulmates” early can cloud your judgment and, again, miss red flags

🚩 Isolating you can weaken your external support system, which can, in turn, make you more dependent on them

🚩 Emotional dependency can build an unhealthy attachment where they expect you to meet their emotional needs

And so, so many more.

So, what do you do if you start spotting these red flags? It’s okay to take a step back from the relationship, slow things down, and evaluate things. Practice setting boundaries and see how they respond. Take some time to reconnect with your support system and have an honest conversation about how you’re feeling.

In the end, you need to trust your gut (and your people) here. If something feels too good to be true or you’re overwhelmed, it’s okay, more than okay, to leave the relationship.

You’re worthy of a healthy relationship. 💜
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07/12/2025

Most people don’t realize this, but your brain is constantly searching for evidence to confirm the stories you tell it. It’s called confirmation bias, and it happens whether we’re aware of it or not. For example, if you tell yourself, “Nothing ever works out for me,” your brain will start scanning your life for proof of that, zeroing in on every setback or failure, while conveniently ignoring any moments of success or progress. It doesn’t mean your life is actually full of failure, it just means you’ve conditioned your brain to notice only the evidence that fits that belief.

This happens because our brains are wired to conserve energy and make quick judgments. It’s easier for your brain to stick with the familiar patterns of thought than to challenge them, even if those patterns don’t serve you. So, when you repeatedly tell yourself something, your brain locks onto it like a truth and begins to filter out anything that contradicts it.

If you start asking different questions, your brain will start looking for evidence to match those. For example, instead of saying, “Nothing ever works out for me,” try asking, “What if things are actually working out for me, even in small ways?” This simple shift in perspective can help rewire your brain to seek out moments of success, progress, and growth. You start noticing the things that are working, even if they’re subtle or small, and you begin to build a new narrative for yourself. Repost from

07/11/2025

I created this guide because there’s an overwhelming amount of content out there right now, and so much of it misuses psychological terms or strips them of their actual meaning. It might seem harmless, but when we don’t understand what these words really mean, it becomes harder to understand ourselves and harder to recognize what we actually need.
💗 Repost from

07/01/2025

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the narcissist or emotionally immature person will be telling you to jump through hoops while not lifting a finger.

they will demand respect and not return it.

they will criticize you for doing everything they do themselves.

they will command consideration, thoughtfulness, sacrifice and devotion while they ignore, invalidate, devalue and deprive you. Repost from

relationship hip