by Wendy Hoke | Jan 1, 2026 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor
I am a mountain climber at heart, and I live in California, home to the Sierra Nevadas. I’ve spent much of my life moving through the backcountry with a pack on my shoulders. Over time, I learned to bring only what truly matters for survival. The lack of comforts...
by Natalie Rose | Dec 31, 2025 | Building Resilience in Healing, CPTSD, Emotional Flashbacks, Expressive Writing, Feeling Good Enough, Guest Contributor, Post Traumatic Growth, Recovery, Self Care
One sweltering July when I was fifteen, I was camped out on a shaded picnic bench at nerd camp. While furiously pushing the buttons on my calculator and drilling exercises for my upcoming exam, I heard rustling in the grass ahead of me. When I looked up, I saw a small...
by Robyn Brickel | Dec 30, 2025 | Cognitive Behavior Therapy, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Professional
Therapy can be life-changing — especially when it’s set up with intention, structure, and the right support. For trauma survivors in particular, creating the right conditions for healing is essential. Recently, we shared how therapy works. Now let’s explore how to...
by Elizabeth Woods | Dec 29, 2025 | CPTSD, Guest Contributor, Trauma, Triggers
***TRIGGER WARNING*** This article discusses trauma, including sexual references that may not be appropriate for all. My name is Lizzy, and I am a survivor of unimaginable trauma. I have lived through a childhood of sexual torture and witnessed several murders. Yet...
by Robyn Brickel | Dec 25, 2025 | Guest Contributor, Holiday Stress, Holidays, Mental Health Professional, Self Care
In today’s polarized world, it can feel especially painful when the people we love hold political beliefs that contradict our values—especially when those beliefs impact our identity, rights, or lived experience. Whether it’s a parent who dismisses LGBTQ+ rights, a...
by Heather Jurvelin | Dec 24, 2025 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Depression, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Therapy
Part I: As I listen to Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” on a loop, I mentally counter the lyrics with the fantasy that the sun will just fall from the sky. Can’t it do me the courtesy of burning out and shrouding me in complete darkness at long last? All...
by Sheri Heller | Dec 22, 2025 | CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Professional, Spirituality, Trauma-Informed
As a complex trauma clinician, survivor, and interfaith minister, I’ve come to understand that true recovery is incomplete without addressing the wounds of spiritual trauma. By spiritual trauma, I refer to the profound psychological, emotional, and existential wounds...
by Elizabeth Woods | Dec 22, 2025 | ACEs, CPTSD, Guest Contributor, Holiday Stress, Holidays
It is almost Christmas. A season for families to get together and spend quality time catching up on the year that has been. Most families have relatives who travel home from out of the State or even from other countries. We live in a fast-paced world where the...
by Dr. Mozelle Martin | Dec 18, 2025 | Brain Chemistry, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Professional
There are certain traits that trauma survivors downplay because they sound far-fetched to those who have never lived inside chronic unpredictability. One of the most common is the ability to sense danger before any visible cue appears. Not fear, not a hunch, but a...
by Robyn Brickel | Dec 17, 2025 | Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Professional
What perspective are you viewing life through today? This is a discussion point I often have with my clients—and one I encourage you to sit with as you read. As a therapist who specializes in working with individuals who have experienced complex trauma, I am...
