The Regulated Mother
If you're raising a hypersensitive, high-needs child — including Autism, PDA, OCD, ODD, ADHD, or anxiety — this podcast is for you. I'm Afshan Tafler, a Nervous System Resilience Coach for mothers like you. Here, we talk about what most people don’t: how it really feels, how your nervous system responds, and how to find your way back to calm, courage, and connection — even on the hardest days. You're not alone, and you were never meant to do this without support.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 25 minutes
- Episodes
- 17
- Years Active
- 2025
Ep.17 The Meaning of Healing Your Nervous System (Even in Stressful or Traumatic Environments)
Can you really heal your nervous system while parenting a highly reactive, hypersensitive, PDA or autistic child—especially when daily life feels traumatic and triggering?In this episode, I share a r…
Ep.16 How to See Your Child in a More Positive Way — Even in the Hardest Moments
Does your child feel like one big trigger? In this episode, I explore how chronic stress rewires your brain to see your hypersensitive or PDA child as a threat—and how to shift your nervous system ba…
Ep.15 When You Feel Like You're Being Abused by Your Child
What do you do when the person hurting you is your own child—and you love them more than anything?
In this deeply personal and trauma-informed episode, Afshan Tafler shares her story of parenting a hy…
Ep 14. Part 3 - From Grief to Growth: The Hidden Gift of Parenting a High Needs Child
In this powerful episode, we explore how the heartbreak of parenting a hypersensitive, high-needs child can become a gateway to healing, meaning, and transformation.
This is Part 3 of a 3-part series …
Ep. 13 Part 2 - Understanding the Grief That Comes With Parenting a High Needs Child
Grief shows up in unexpected ways when you’re parenting a hypersensitive, high-needs child. And most of it goes unnamed.
In this episode of The Regulated Mother, I explore the deeper grief that lives …
Ep. 12 Part 1 - The Loss No One Talks About in Parenting a High Needs Child
In this episode of The Regulated Mother, we name the invisible losses that come with parenting a hypersensitive, high-needs child—loss of identity, dreams, freedom, health, and more. If you’ve ever f…
Ep.11 When Your Child’s Behavior Triggers Your Old Wounds of Not Belonging
If you're parenting a hypersensitive, high-needs child, you've likely had moments in public where your child's behavior triggered deep shame—and left you feeling judged, isolated, and like you don’t …
Ep.10 Why You Feel Depressed When Parenting a Hypersensitive, High-Needs Child
If you’ve been waking up feeling numb, heavy, or low while parenting your hypersensitive, high-needs child, you’re not alone—and there’s a reason for it. In this episode of The Regulated Mother, I sh…
Ep.9 The Key to Handling Your Child’s Big Emotions: Learn to Feel Your Own
When my son was housebound and stuck in burnout, I found myself numbing out—chips, TV, doing anything to not feel the grief I couldn’t face. In this episode, I share a personal story of emotional shu…
Ep.8 Why You Can’t Relax—And How to Teach Your Nervous System It’s Safe
Why does rest feel impossible—even when your child is calm and you’re exhausted? In this episode, I share my personal journey with hypervigilance, what happens in your nervous system when rest feels …
Ep.7 Rupture Isn’t Failure: It’s the Path to Healing
In this episode, we explore the emotional and nervous system layers of rupture in parenting. What if rupture doesn’t mean you’re failing—but that something deeper is trying to heal through you?
We’ll…
Ep.6 3 Things Your Nervous System Needs When Your Child Is Triggering You
When your child’s behavior overwhelms you — whether it’s yelling, swearing, or melting down — it’s easy to feel like you’ve lost all control and have no idea what to do. In this episode, I share a po…
Ep.5 You Are Not Your Activation: Becoming the Awareness Behind Your Mind and Body
What if you’re not the rage, the shutdown, the overwhelm you feel in those hard parenting moments?
In this episode, we explore a powerful shift that lies at the heart of nervous system healing: becomi…
Ep.4 Wired for Connection: How a Mother’s Nervous System is Designed to Feel Her Child
In this episode, we explore the profound biological and nervous system connection between mother and child. From the science of microchimerism to the lived experience of co-regulating a hypersensitiv…
Ep.3 Why I Froze: Understanding the Fear, Rage, and Burnout Cycle in Parenting My High-Needs Child
In this episode, we explore a powerful trauma loop that many mothers of hypersensitive, high-needs children unknowingly get stuck in: the rage → fear → freeze → shame → rage cycle.
I share how this lo…
Ep.2 When Courage Emerges: A Story of Healing, Co-Regulation, and Hope
After years of dysregulation, shutdowns, and fear… something shifted.
This episode tells the story of a recent moment with my son—one that could have easily become another trauma, but instead became a…
Ep.1 When Gratitude Feels Out of Reach A Mother’s Day Reflection
Gratitude can feel impossible when you’re mothering a hypersensitive, high-needs child—especially on days like Mother’s Day, when the world expects you to feel nothing but joy.
In this tender reflecti…