by Natalie Rose | Jul 16, 2024 | CPTSD, Guest Contributor, Guilt, Healing from Toxic Shame, Post Traumatic Growth, Religion and Trauma, Spirituality
As a trauma survivor with nowhere to turn, I did what so many desperate and lonely do: I sought Jesus. Having grown up in Texas, Christianity was the only belief system I knew, so I found the dusty Bible in the back of my closet and opened it. I was soon filled with...
by Elizabeth Woods | Jul 15, 2024 | ACEs, CPTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor
My name is Elizabeth, and I am a survivor of sexual abuse and trauma. I endured things, terrible things when I was growing up. I was just a young sprout, but my lack of years and stature failed to tell everyone what I had already lived through and seen with my young...
by Jennifer Kindera | Jul 12, 2024 | CPTSD, Grief, Guest Contributor, Shame
The strong, sickly sweet smell of lilies never fails to riot my belly. When I breathe them in, I am transported back to your service, and scores of memories tear a path from my heart to my brain. Even now, I miss you with a fierceness that makes me want to jump into...
by Cyndi Bennett | Jul 11, 2024 | CPTSD, Occupational Mental Health & CPTSD
I have been focusing on anxiety and panic attacks this month because they are so prevalent and disruptive in the workplace. For trauma survivors, fear and anxiety over the unpredictable nature of trauma triggers is a daily occurrence. Often, what happens is that we...
by Gabrielle Lynch | Jul 10, 2024 | CPTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor
A darkened heart still pumps on Feminist vigilante movie trailers play on as viewers wonder which actress often typecast as the wife will now get her chance for more. They can, at last, play the scorned woman out to kill a predator. This female lead fights outside of...
by Jesse Donahue | Jul 9, 2024 | CPTSD, Guest Contributor
By Jesse B. Donahue 2020 ©For one to pretend… it is what we do. We make things up, make-believe, and make real our pretense of childhood games and the adult world of games around us. I can be a king on a mortal throne of my desired design, for I expose from my...
by Roseanne Reilly | Jul 8, 2024 | Brain Chemistry, CPTSD, Guest Contributor
In our journey to overcome chronic stress and trauma, many of us have a strong desire to “break the cycle.” But here’s the vital piece of information that often gets overlooked: to break the cycle, we need to begin completing the many incomplete...
by Tonia Cordi | Jul 5, 2024 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor
Not knowing or fully understanding what’s behind all the mess can be scary Life clutter shows up in many ways aside from our physical spaces. It’s a puzzle with many pieces that include unfinished to-do lists, unresolved emotions, clutter in our minds with repetitive...
by Rebekah Brown | Jul 3, 2024 | ACEs, Guest Contributor, Healing Self-Shame, Toxic Relationships
In my forties, I was a part of a support group for survivors of abuse. Most of the women who attended were dealing with abusive partners. I was the only one sharing about childhood abuse, though I am sure nearly everyone there was a survivor of childhood trauma. We...
by Bonni Benton | Jul 2, 2024 | Brain Chemistry, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Part 4 of 4: As quickly as I could after the nervous breakdown, I kept going because recovery time from violent relationships was not covered by my health insurance. I was a sloppy, hot mess. (My lack.) I was very lucky to have colleagues, bosses, and a mother who...