CPTSD and Pride Month
Repeated exposures to traumatic events. Events that overwhelm one’s sense of identity, capacity to comprehend what’s occurring, and force the body into a state of constant hypervigilance. Intrusive, repetitive, re-experiencing (memories, flashbacks,...
Befriending the Ache of Awakening From Survival
Taking the Edge Off Sadness There can be a sadness that emerges when we begin to truly see, when we wake up to the realization that we have lived much of our lives in survival stress. It is the grief of recognizing that our choices, our relationships, our very sense...
Leading with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD): Healing for Ourselves and Those We Lead
Introduction As leaders, many of us are driven by a deep desire to make a positive impact and support those around us. However, for those of us navigating the challenges of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), our journey as leaders can be significantly...
My Best Friend in the Psych Ward
TRIGGER WARNING: Writer’s Note: This post contains references to suicidal ideation, sexual assault, and psychiatric ward experiences. Names have been changed. Five words got me tied up on a stretcher in the back of this ambulance. Five words, starting with “I want”...
An Open Heart Doesn’t Always Mean a Broken Heart
Vulnerability and Trust Can Be the Hardest Work We’ll Ever Do My therapist recently had the audacity to applaud my progress, reminding me that I’m “the one doing all the work.” A part of me internally screamed about how much I hated it when she said that. For the...
The Power of Non-Linear Storytelling
Storytelling connects us to the world around us, to the forests and mountains and critters in our city parks I believe in storytelling to understand others and ourselves. Storytelling connects us to the world around us, to the forests and mountains and critters in our...
Fawn Response: The Trauma Survival Pattern That’s Mistaken for Kindness
It often looks like compassion. It often gets praised as loyalty. But for many trauma survivors, the behavior known as the fawn response isn’t about kindness—it is about survival. The fawn response is the least recognized of the four primary trauma reactions: fight,...
Navigating Triggers and Emotions: Strategies for Trauma Survivors in the Workplace
Introduction As trauma survivors, we often face unique challenges in the workplace related to managing triggers and intense emotions. The number one request that I get from trauma survivors is to teach them how to manage their workplace triggers. Experiencing triggers...