by J Bradley O | Oct 28, 2020 | Complex PTSD Healing, Depression, Emotional Flashbacks, Family Estrangement, Grief, Healthy Relationships, Holiday Stress, Mindfulness, Surviving the Holidays
Chilled and humid, the air sticks to my skin. The sky is thickly overcast, a shock after three warm days of sunshine. Is this the perfect background for my somber mood or the conditions that provoke it? October starts a long anniversary I don’t want to recall, much...
by Shirley Davis | Oct 26, 2020 | CPTSD Research, Emotional Wellness
In October, we have been exploring together emotional wellness and emotional intelligence during emotional wellness awareness month. During these stressful days of the COVID 19 pandemic, talking about this subject is even more vital than ever before. Being emotionally...
by Kathy C | Oct 23, 2020 | CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Dissociation and CPTSD, Guest Contributor
The Beginning I know now that D.I.D. systems arise to keep certain experiences and feelings separate from normal consciousness. The alters or aspects of my mind that hold my trauma are unique to my childhood abuse experiences. Each of us with a dissociative disorder...
by Randi | Oct 21, 2020 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor
If you’ve been reading my posts, you know that I talk a lot about awareness and acceptance. They are crucial for healing from trauma, and they are crucial to properly advocate for your child. My husband was able to get the help he needed to get sober when he closed...
by Shirley Davis | Oct 19, 2020 | CPTSD, CPTSD Research, Emotional Wellness
There can be no doubt that emotional wellness and emotional intelligence go hand in hand. But what does it mean to be emotionally well? Is it something mysterious and unattainable? Or is it something that anyone can achieve? This article will explore these questions...
by Alice Kenny | Oct 16, 2020 | ACEs, Complex PTSD Healing, Guest Contributor, The Brain and CPTSD
I missed out on hugs and cuddles. My mother, who was mentally ill, did not display affection. In second grade, I walked home from school with a friend. I remember watching as she ran up her front steps. Her mother would be waiting for her at the door with a smile....
by Alice Kenny | Oct 14, 2020 | ACEs, Guest Contributor
(The article below is based on an excerpt from my book, Crazy Was All I Ever Knew: The Impact of Maternal Mental Illness on Kids. I have used a pseudonym to protect the privacy of family members.) My mother, who was mentally ill, never hugged me, never caressed me,...
by Shirley Davis | Oct 12, 2020 | CPTSD, CPTSD Research, Emotional Wellness
Emotional intelligence (EI) involves the ability to identify, understand, use, and manage your emotions. Having high emotional intelligence skills can help you communicate better, resolve conflicts, empathize with others, and reduce anxiety plus stress. Your emotional...
by Chris Prange-Morgan | Oct 9, 2020 | ACEs, Attachment Trauma, CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Hypervigilance, Mindfulness, Outer Critic, Trauma-Informed
Sometimes raising a child with developmental trauma feels like drowning. During the pandemic, the usual lifelines of educational and community support are decreased or absent, and many parents are left feeling suffocated and alone. Our son spent two years languishing...
by J Bradley O | Oct 7, 2020 | CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories
As the sun rises here on the porch of the homeless shelter, the house’s cat ambles up beside me. I scratch and caress her head. Her silky black fur seems too soft for a cat. She purrs and nuzzles my hand. She also wants to be fed. If we traded places, would...
