Dr. Alison Cook

New book out August 18 — The Secure Soul: Finding Inner Strength and Connection When Trust Doesn’t Come Easy This is my most personal book. It holds my own story of finding and learning to let Love into the wounded places within my own heart. . .the part of me who controls. The one who lingers in the shadows. And the young one who simply needs to be seen, known, and held by Love. This book feels terrifyingly vulnerable to release. And yet writing it also healed parts of me I didn’t even know still needed healing. We have so much head knowledge—I know I did. And yet knowledge alone never changed me. And I don’t see it changing others. Not spiritually. Not emotionally. What finally began to change my heart, my soul, was learning to patiently be with the tender places inside of me. And learning to let Love meet me there. And now, I finally get to share this with you. I hope it becomes a companion on your own journey toward healing the wounded places within. Because if there’s one thing I know: your soul—every part of your soul—matters. The places still longing to be seen. To be known. To be held by Love. 💌 Comment SOUL and I’ll send you the details…I’ve put together some really special gifts for everyone who preorders.

If your mind is loud in the morning and your nervous system is a little frayed… you’re in good company. Come join me and let’s start the day anchored, clear, and grounded together. 🤍 The Best of You Every Day is my new daily podcast—8-minute episodes where ancient wisdom meets modern psychology. Comment DAILY and I’ll DM you the link + a 3-episode starter list. And today’s episode is especially timely: a scriptural way to steady your nervous system. 💌

Sometimes what we call “love” is actually fear of disappointing, upsetting, or losing someone. Healing looks like learning that you can care deeply for others without abandoning yourself in the process. 🤍 The patterns we learn in relationships early in life often follow us into adulthood—but they don’t have to define us forever. That’s one of the reasons I wrote The Secure Soul: to help you build relationships rooted in safety, honesty, and deeper connection. Comment the word SOUL to get early access to the first 3 chapters and the companion guide 🤍 #TheSecureSoul #boundaries #internalfamilysystems

Comment BURNOUT for the full episode and then keep reading 👇🏻 There’s a middle place in life that we don’t talk about enough. You’re not falling apart.But you’re not exactly flourishing either. You’re showing up. Going through the motions. Carrying the responsibilities of your life. But underneath it all, there’s a weariness. And it’s easy to assume you must be doing something wrong. But what if this season isn’t a sign that you’re failing? What if these dry, ordinary, “in-between” places are actually part of being human? Part of growing. Part of becoming whole. Such a great conversation with @tishharrisonwarren and I love her brand new book "What Grows in Weary Lands" - out this week! #therapypodcast #emotionalwellness #mentalhealthawareness

If you’re curious about the family role you may have learned to play in relationships, DM me the word QUIZ to take the free assessment. 🔍 Safety in relationships isn’t about being perfect. It’s about becoming someone who can stay open, curious, and grounded—even when emotions run high. Many of us learned to protect ourselves through defensiveness, shutting down, overexplaining, fixing, or assuming. Those responses often come from old wounds and learned patterns, not bad intentions. But safe relationships are built in the small moments: when we pause before reacting, when we listen to understand, when we make room for someone else’s experience without needing to control it. This kind of safety doesn’t happen overnight. It grows slowly through awareness, repair, humility, and practice. And the beautiful thing is this: as we become safer for others, we often become safer for ourselves, too. #ifstherapy #safespace #caregiversupport

Overthinking doesn’t just happen. There’s usually a pattern underneath it. In this clip, @donnajacksonnakazawa walks me through her MIST framework—a simple way to understand what’s actually happening when your mind won’t slow down. Because the goal isn’t to stop thinking… It’s to understand why your mind is working so hard in the first place. Comment SPIRAL to listen to “Why You Can’t Stop Overthinking—and How to Break the Spiral” 🌪️🎧 #stopoverthinking #therapypodcast #thebestofyou

A part of you is still waiting… and Love is already closer than you think. Announcement coming May 7. 💌

We know so much about healing. About relationships. About faith. We have so much information. We know it in our heads. And yet it doesn’t always move into our hearts. Into our souls. Into our bodies. What if we could learn to be with ourselves in a new way? To know ourselves in a new way? To tend to our inner being in a new way? Something new is coming. May 7. I can’t wait to share it with you. 💌

Something very special is coming! Stay tuned for the announcement on May 7th. 👀

That feeling of being pulled in two directions? That’s information we should pay attention to. When something in you fights back, it’s often because a part of you needs care, not criticism. Comment CARE if you’ve ever felt stuck wanting one thing but doing the opposite. #ifstherapy #partswork #innerconflict #therapypodcast

Rest is for you too.

Apologizing can become a reflex when you’ve learned to associate your needs with disconnection. Shifting from guilt to gratitude isn’t about being more “positive” it’s about rewiring how you experience safety in relationships. You’re allowed to have capacity. You’re allowed to be supported. You’re allowed to be human. #reframe #ifstherapy