by Rebekah Brown | May 7, 2021 | CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Guest Contributor, Healing Self-Shame, Hypervigilance, Self-Acceptance
Hypervigilance: The state of being highly alert to potential danger or threat I sat on the floor practicing my trauma techniques as I rubbed my hands across the thick bedroom carpet. Grounding myself in the present, I took a deep breath. My eyes rested on a favorite...
by Mari Stewart | May 6, 2021 | CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor
I still recall with almost crystal-like clarity the day my therapist first said I might have a form of PTSD. I found the idea to be ridiculous. I was so very normal. Nothing had ever happened to me. Nothing. As a matter of fact, that was one of the primary reasons I...
by Kinjal Kanani | May 5, 2021 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor
Me: I am going to have a heart attack! Let’s get the ECG done, or else it would be too late. My rational mind: No, it can’t be a heart attack. RELAX! Me: I’m unable to breathe, and my chest hurts. It’s definitely an attack. My rational mind: If so, gather courage and...
by Shirley Davis | May 3, 2021 | ACEs, Complex PTSD Healing
Childhood should be a carefree time full of learning and joy. However, many children aren’t that lucky and grow up in homes that are dysfunctional and abusive. These encounters are known as adverse childhood experiences and change the future of the child forever. One...
by Wendy Hoke | Apr 30, 2021 | CPTSD and Parenting, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Depression, Dissociation and CPTSD, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor
Greatest myth of all time: “Children are resilient.” Wrong. Children are fragile. They break easily. My maternal grandfather broke me. I was 7 or 8 when the sexual abuse began. The psychic damage was extensive. I am now 58, and I am proof that having competent doctors...
by Randi | Apr 29, 2021 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and Parenting, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Self-Acceptance
I was asked to write a post on my blog about life through my eyes. Although I welcome suggestions, this topic is probably the one that is hardest for me to write. I have written many posts about my struggles, but to describe what life feels like for me is incredibly...
by Robyn Brickel | Apr 28, 2021 | Complex PTSD Healing, Trauma-Informed
The experience of trauma makes a profound mark on a person. It doesn’t matter whether the injury is grave and evident, as the bruising of a battered person, or hard to see, like the emotional neglect of someone detached and withdrawn. Whatever the cause, when a person...
by Shirley Davis | Apr 26, 2021 | Childhood Sexual Abuse
This series in April has focused on childhood sexual abuse, what it is, and how it affects its victims long-term. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is an insidious blight on our world and destroys the future of our country, our children. This article will focus on how to...
by Rebekah Brown | Apr 23, 2021 | ACEs, Attachment Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories
The Voice Box No-Talk Rule – This foundational dysfunctional family rule demands children never tell the truth to outsiders and never speak up to their abusers. (always be kind to yourself as you read, as some content may feel triggering) Blurry shapes...
by Belinda Pyle | Apr 22, 2021 | CPTSD and Inner Child Work, Guest Contributor
Things You Can Tell Your Children But Not Your Inner ChildAs a parent of four stepchildren and two biological ones, I wasn’t thrilled to find out I had yet another child to parent. The thought made me want to run to the nearest hospital and get an emergency...
