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...
by Jennifer Lock Oman | Jul 1, 2024 | Brain Chemistry, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Professional
Strengths can be found in childhood survival strategies. Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is much more prevalent than anyone might surmise. Because adults who managed this attachment trauma as children learned many adaptive survival skills that they...
by Rachel Grant | Jun 28, 2024 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor, Parenting With Trauma
How do I not repeat the mistakes of my parents? One of the most common questions I get is, “Rachel, how do I not repeat the mistakes of my parents?” My first answer is always, “Well, you are already breaking old patterns just by asking that question...
