Holding Space

154: The World Isn’t Okay, and We’re Still Making PB&Js with Dr. Sumi Raghavan

Holding Space

Show Notes

In this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Cassidy is joined by Dr. Sumi Raghavan for a grounded, human conversation about parenting during a moment of real fear and moral injury. ICE violence in Minnesota and across the country has left many parents feeling dysregulated, overwhelmed, and unsure how to show up for their kids while their own nervous systems are on high alert. This conversation isn’t happening from a distance. We're two moms, two therapists, sitting inside the same world you are, trying to figure out how to keep showing up without collapsing. Together, we explore what’s happening in parents’ nervous systems right now, why overwhelm is a reasonable response to real threat, and how regulation is not disengagement, but the foundation for sustained action and care. We aim to offer concrete guidance for how to talk to kids across different ages, from young children to teens, while protecting their sense of safety without pretending nothing is happening. This episode is meant to be a place of containment, not more flooding. Resources & Next Steps A written companion to this episode, with key takeaways and language you can return to, is available on Substack here. Links to grounding tools, community resources, and organizations supporting immigrant families are included there as well. To connect with Dr. Sumi Raghavan and learn more about her New York-based private practice, you can find her on instagram @drsumiphd and her private practice website here!

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