Labels: The Things We Call Ourselves
Guess what! I’m mentally ill! Somehow, after 66 years of living and 30 years of therapy, I had no idea. It turns out that I suffer from an avalanche of disorders. I’m good with the PTSD diagnosis; those years of flashbacks don’t lie. I have SAD without a doubt;...Long-Term Stress and Trauma
Many of my patients share stories where they have suffered years and years of trauma, abuse, and emotional neglect. The courage to share their stories is incredible. What some people have gone through is indescribable. I am often reacting the same way when I hear...
Q & A: For Practitioners About Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma is all around us, with most of it being dealt with just fine by the person having experienced it. However, some trauma is not so easy to shake, and it can mean life-altering changes that affect people all their lives if there is no intervention. Practitioners...
Managing CPTSD Symptoms in the Workplace – Part 1
In the first article in this series, I introduced you to my experience with suddenly having to manage the effects of CPTSD in the workplace. Today, I would like us to explore the symptoms of CPTSD, as they are classified in the World Health Organization (WHO)...The Never-ending Loop of PTSD and Chronic Pain
On bad days, I don’t know where the anxiety stops and the chronic pain begins. The tightening in my chest could be a warning of a panic attack or of a fibromyalgia flare that will spread across my chest, down my arms, and into my hands, rendering me unable to write —...The Importance of Psychoeducational Material that is Trauma-sensitive for the Survivor and the Practitioner
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a common disorder altering the lives of millions of people. Yet, there is little training available for survivors or practitioners. This article will explain what CPTSD is, the difference between post-traumatic stress...A Child Lost in Time: Trauma and Chronic Pain
As I sit here with several benign tumors that are causing constant pain, I realize how chronic medical problems have followed me throughout life. I was always the sickly, hand-shy kid. Pain and odd ailments punctuate every major inflection point, like a divorce...
Coming Off of Mute
With the advent of working from home during COVID, we have all seen and chuckled at the videos going around of people either not being on mute and wishing they were, or people being on mute and wondering why people were not listening to them. Now, there is the double...