Dominique Outlaw-Howell, Psy.d.

05/26/2026

Sometimes survival mode doesn’t look dramatic.

Sometimes it looks like:

* constantly feeling exhausted no matter how much you rest
* zoning out emotionally
* irritability you can’t fully explain
* procrastination that feels more like paralysis
* always feeling “on edge”
* struggling to slow down even when your body is asking you to

So many people blame themselves for these experiences without realizing:
their nervous systems may have been trying to adapt to chronic stress, overwhelm, burnout, trauma, or prolonged emotional strain.

That’s one of the reasons I’m passionate about trauma-informed psychoeducation and nervous system regulation work through The Outlaw Psychological Center, PLLC.

Understanding *why* your mind and body respond the way they do can reduce so much shame.

You are not lazy.
You are not weak.
You are not “too sensitive.”

Survival responses are adaptive responses from a nervous system that has been trying to protect you.

Awareness is often the first step toward creating change with more compassion, understanding, and support.

I’m currently exploring future trauma-informed workshops focused on:
🌿 nervous system regulation
🌿 burnout & overwhelm
🌿 emotional resilience
🌿 ADHD overwhelm & shutdown
🌿 reconnecting with the body safely

Would you attend a workshop on nervous system regulation?

Feel free to comment below or message me with topics you’d love to learn more about 💛

05/21/2026

Back in March, I facilitated “Reset & Regulate” at Sol to Soul Yoga Studio through The Outlaw Psychological Center, PLLC and I’ve honestly still been reflecting on the experience.
11 out of 12 spots filled, and one of the biggest things participants shared afterward was:
this was their first time learning nervous system regulation tools that actually felt approachable, practical, and usable in everyday life.
So many people are navigating chronic stress, burnout, anxiety, overwhelm, emotional shutdown, or survival mode without ever having language for what’s happening internally.
A major focus of the workshop was helping people better understand:
🧠 the difference between anxiety, overwhelm, and shutdown
🌿 how stress and trauma responses can show up in the body
💛 grounding and pendulation techniques for regulation
✨ ways to reconnect with themselves safely and gradually
🫶 reducing shame around survival responses
One participant shared:
“I thought something was wrong with me, but now I understand what my body is doing.”
That moment genuinely stayed with me.
Sometimes psychoeducation alone can create so much relief because people realize:
they are not “broken," instead...
their nervous systems have been trying to protect them.
Experiences like this continue reinforcing why I care so deeply about creating trauma-informed spaces that help people feel more emotionally aware, connected, and empowered with tools they can actually integrate into daily life.
I’m excited to continue expanding offerings through The Outlaw Psychological Center, PLLC, including:
🌿 trauma-informed workshops
🌿 psychoeducational experiences
🌿 nervous system regulation support
🌿 burnout & overwhelm focused programming
🌿 future intensive offerings
Very grateful for everyone who attended and trusted me to hold space for these conversations 💛
If there are future workshop or intensive topics you’d be interested in, feel free to comment or message me.

05/19/2026

Still reflecting on themes that stayed with me after attending the Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists conference earlier this spring.

One thing that deeply stood out to me:
so many people are living in chronic survival mode while simultaneously feeling disconnected, overstimulated, emotionally exhausted, and alone.

We talk a lot about anxiety and burnout —
but not enough about:
✨ nervous system safety
✨ co-regulation
✨ embodied healing
✨ community and connection
✨ the impact of loneliness on emotional wellbeing
✨ spaces where people can exist without constantly performing

A huge reminder for me was this:
healing is not just about “coping better” inside systems that continue to overwhelm people.

Sometimes growth begins when people finally experience environments that feel:
🫶 safe
🫶 grounding
🫶 emotionally attuned
🫶 humanizing
🫶 connected

Experiences like this continue shaping how I envision the future of The Outlaw Psychological Center, PLLC — not only through therapy, but through trauma-informed workshops, psychoeducation, and structured intensive experiences that help people better understand themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with themselves and others in meaningful ways.

I’m especially excited to continue creating spaces centered around:
🌿 nervous system regulation
🌿 burnout recovery
🌿 emotional resilience
🌿 ADHD overwhelm & regulation
🌿 reconnecting with the body safely
🌿 trauma-informed psychoeducation

Grateful to continue learning, growing, and building with intention 💛

If there are workshop or intensive topics you’d love to see in the future, feel free to comment or message me.

02/20/2026

02/19/2026

💛 Quick check-in…
Where do you usually feel stress in your body?
For me (and for so many people I work with), it often shows up as:
• tight shoulders
• jaw clenching
• shallow breathing
• feeling tired but wired
• trouble fully relaxing
Our bodies carry a lot—sometimes more than we realize.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is to have spaces where we can slow down, listen to ourselves, and feel supported without having to “perform” or hold it all together.
Not to fix anything.
Just to breathe.
To notice.
To reconnect.
If you’re comfortable sharing: where do you notice stress most?
Sending everyone gentleness today 🤍

12/18/2025

Why "just staying positive" often makes things worse. 🧠

Ever tried to force a smile when you were actually spiraling? It usually feels exhausting because your nervous system knows the truth.
As a psychologist, I teach my clients that emotions are data, not directives. They are signals from your brain about your environment or your needs.
When we ignore the signal, the brain just "turns up the volume."

Emotion regulation isn’t about “calming down.”
Most people were taught that regulating emotions means:
• suppressing them
• reasoning them away
• or forcing positivity

In trauma-informed work, emotion regulation means something very different.
It means learning how to:
✔ notice emotional signals early
✔ stay present without getting hijacked
✔ respond instead of react
✔ recover faster after emotional spikes
For many adults, this was never modeled or was actively punished growing up.
That’s why emotion regulation is a skill, not a personality trait.
In my upcoming 8-week Emotion Regulation Group starting January 26, 2026, we work on:
• understanding emotional patterns (without shame)
• building nervous-system-based regulation skills
• practicing tools you can actually use in real life
• learning alongside others who get it
Group work can be powerful because regulation is relational—we learn it in safe connection.
If emotional intensity, shutdown, or overwhelm has been running the show lately, you’re not broken.
You’re under-resourced.

02/21/2025

✨👌🏾🤎

01/22/2025