SHITSHOW SATURDAY #223 – JeremySHITSHOW SATURDAY #223 – Jeremy
Adult Child
Jeremy shares how growing up in a rural, dysfunctional family shaped his workaholic drive, buried grief and hair-trigger anger, and how trauma-focused therapy and community are helping him shift long-standing patterns. Andrea also talks about her somatic course for overthinkers who feel stuck in their heads and disconnected from their bodies.
33:53•19 Sept 2026
Jeremy on Anger, Grief and Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family Machine
Episode Overview
- Childhood in a rural, chaotic family left Jeremy working constantly, taking on adult responsibilities and missing out on being a teenager.
- Secret alcoholism, fabricated stories and gaslighting led him to question his anger and feel that his emotions did not count.
- He describes intense sadness that quickly turns into rage, especially around injustice or being lied to, and how this has damaged relationships.
- Early attempts at help included harmful experiences with a partying psychiatrist and a paediatric neurologist who later went to jail, eroding his trust in professionals.
- Trauma-focused therapy, parts work language and the Adult Child community have helped him claim his experience, seek safer support and show up more authentically.
“I grieve some stuff that happened. I grieve some stuff that didn’t happen.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This SHITSHOW SATURDAY chat zooms in on Jeremy, a self-described "human doer" who grew up in a rural, highly dysfunctional family system and spent years wondering, "Is it me? Is it my environment? Is it both?" If you grew up in chaos, you’ll probably recognise a lot of yourself in his story.
He describes delivering furniture, looking after a farm and starting multiple jobs as a teenager, all while being told his feelings were "hurtful" and his reality was "not that bad." That message followed him into adulthood, where secret alcoholism, lies and gaslighting left him questioning his own anger and sanity: "I don’t know why you’re so angry about this…I haven’t done anything to you." The episode digs into what happens when grief is buried and anger becomes the only emotion that feels safe.
Jeremy talks through a childhood shaped by divorce, a family business, endless work and very little space to be a kid. Jeremy shares how he often goes from intense sadness straight into rage, especially around injustice or being "bullshitted," and how that has blown up relationships even without classic rock-bottom moments. He’s honest about the shame of being "good" at verbal conflict and how protective parts show up fast when he senses threat.
On the healing side, Jeremy walks through his bumpy path with mental health support—being over-medicated by a partying psychiatrist, feeling utterly off track, then eventually finding proper trauma therapy. He credits trauma-focused work, Internal Family Systems-style parts language, and the Adult Child community with helping him show up more authentically and less stoically. Andrea also shares about her live somatic course "Safe Within," aimed at overthinkers whose healing has stayed in their heads, not their bodies.
If you’ve ever thought, "There’s no way you can live in daily chaos and not be affected by it," this conversation might be the validation you’ve been waiting for. Where might you still be numbing instead of feeling?
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