What if numbness isn't apathy — but overload?
In this episode of 50 Tastes of Gray, I sit down with writer and journalist Maria Cassano (The Good Girl Recovery Guide, upcoming memoir Numb, Party of One - Feb 2027) for an honest conversation about depersonalization, derealization, and the cost of being the "good girl."
Maria shares what it was like to feel gone for years, why people-pleasing and hyper-empathy can tip the nervous system into shutdown, and how everyday rituals — coffee, boundaries, and yes, magic shell — became tools for coming back.
We get into:
The real lived experience of depersonalization vs. the clinical definition
Good Girl Recovery: unlearning performative care
Boundaries as a nervous system practice, not just a concept
Finding safety and pleasure in small sensory rituals
Reclaiming "I'm Good Now" without pretending you were never hurt
Maria's writing: The Good Girl Recovery Guide on Substack — https://mariacassano.substack.com/
If you’ve ever felt numb, checked out, or “too much” and “not enough” at the same time — this one is for you.