Eva Whitmer, LPC, NPT-C

06/19/2026

Therapy is sometimes the only place you can feel heard and accepted. If you don’t have a place or relationships outside therapy where you feel known, you deserve to.

06/16/2026

The United States is reliant on unpaid family caregivers, and millions of adult children are caring for parents who didn’t really care for them.

06/15/2026

How much do you abandon yourself?

06/13/2026

That’s a good way to put it!

06/12/2026

06/09/2026

Great article.

“I made mistakes as a parent, and I’m willing to own those, but I won’t accept being defined solely by my worst moments.”

Few things cut deeper than being defined negatively by your own child. The person you raised, sacrificed for, and loved beyond measure now sees you through a lens of anger, disappointment, or contempt. Maybe they’ve called you toxic or narcissistic. Maybe they’ve pulled away completely. You’re...

06/09/2026

It’s not enough to know why you do something. Change requires making a different choice. Relationships are hard. Choose growth. Choose love. Containers where this is safe, is everything.

I highly recommend Vienna’s book: The Origins Of You.

Watch this short conversation about growth and relationships.

Saying "I love you" isn't proof you love someone. Proof is what you...

06/02/2026

This Is Where The Real Work Begins - Part 5

It’s easy to stop at:

“I took a few breaths. I feel better. I’m good.”

And sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes regulation is the goal.

But if you’re doing deeper healing work, regulation is often just the beginning.

Because it’s not until you’re regulated that you can safely turn inward. That you can become curious instead of reactive, compassionate instead of critical.

Imagine being triggered by your partner. You feel the tension in your body, your thoughts start racing, and this time you catch it.

Instead of pushing through, you pause. You step away. You breathe. You allow your nervous system to settle.

That alone is significant.

But once you’re steady enough, you can begin asking:

What actually got triggered in me?
Why did that affect me so strongly?
What feels threatened right now?
What do I need?

Often, what’s activated isn’t just about the present moment.

It’s a younger part of you carrying old beliefs:

I’m not safe.
I’m not important.
I’m going to be rejected.
I have to protect myself.

Rather than judging those reactions or trying to force them away, you stay with them.

You listen.

You get curious.

This is what reparenting looks like in real life.

Not fixing yourself. Not shutting yourself down.

But recognizing that something inside you needs attention and choosing not to abandon it.

This work can feel messy at first. Sometimes it even feels like you’re getting triggered more often.

Usually, you’re not getting worse.

You’re becoming aware.

When emotions have been pushed down for years, awareness can feel overwhelming. But over time, the waves settle.

You begin catching things earlier. Responding instead of reacting. Speaking up sooner. Caring for yourself before things reach a crisis point.

This is what healing often looks like:

Not perfect.
Not linear.

But more aware.
More responsive.
More connected.

Doing this work is not selfish.

It’s how you change the patterns that have been running your life.

It’s how you come back to yourself.

Read the rest of this series at therisingsol.com/journal

— Eva

05/22/2026

“The obsession with improving ourselves must be met with the same amount of acceptance of ourselves.”

What happens when healing becomes an identity