Caroline Foran | The Nervous System, Anxiety & PDA Parenting #170

About this episode

Caroline Foran discusses her experiences with anxiety and parenting a child with a PDA profile.

Anxiety author Caroline Foran joins Laura for a deeply personal conversation about parenting a young son recently diagnosed as autistic with a PDA profile, alongside her own long history with anxiety. Caroline talks openly about the years before the diagnosis, the blame she turned inward, and everything she has had to unlearn about parenting. She explains what PDA — Pervasive Drive for Autonomy — actually looks like day to day, why traditional approaches can make things worse, and the social pressure of being seen to "manage" a child whose nervous system is set on high alert. She also shares her own anxiety story, from a frightening breakdown at sixteen in Italy through to the severe physical anxiety that took over her twenties. Caroline talks about medication, CBT, and the years of work behind her new book Everything I Wish I'd Known About Anxiety, and why so much of recovery came from showing her body safety rather than trying to outthink her own mind. 🔑 Key Points Discovering a PDA profile — Caroline explains Pervasive Drive for Autonomy and what it means for her son's nervous system day to day. Why traditional parenting backfires — Holding firm boundaries can push a PDA…

People in this episode

Host: Laura Dowling

Guest: Caroline Foran

Topics covered

• anxiety
• PDA parenting
• autism
• mental health
• parenting challenges

Keywords

• anxiety
• PDA
• autism
• parenting
• mental health
• CBT
• medication

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Anxiety

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