The Interface of Healing and Human Interactions
Trauma leaves deep imprints on our nervous system, often disrupting our ability to feel safe, connect with others, and regulate our emotions. The social engagement system, which encompasses our facial expressions, vocalizations, and body language, is crucial to this...
Being a Real Adult Means Choosing Yourself First
Putting Myself First? You’re Kidding, Right?! I had to step back recently from things that weren’t serving me anymore. Disappointing other people was so hard that I immediately wanted to backpedal on my choice. For many of us with childhood trauma, making changes that...
Discernment Through the Fray…
Through the cacophony of media – social, alternative, traditional, and otherwise – I could no longer deny the need to walk away from it all and regroup. Heck, I even helped launch Fox News Channel back in the day, attended editorial meetings, and certainly...
Complex PTSD and Coping with Change
We are all different and unique in our skill sets at work and in how we are as human beings Our world is busy and can feel overwhelming and unfriendly to anyone. With the internet and most businesses trading and communicating online, we can feel isolated in our work....
Lessons from Hurricane Helene
When they said to fill the bathtub to have drinking water on hand, I thought it was overkill When they said to fill the bathtub to have drinking water on hand, I thought it was overkill. I didn’t think Helene would make it this far inland. Won’t all the mountains be a...
Shame, the Gift that Keeps on Giving
The first time I remember feeling shame was on my fifth birthday. MyMom’s boyfriend had just given me a present, and before I opened it, Imade some flippant comment in an effort to be funny. Although time haserased the words that came from my mouth that day, my...
Do We Ever Truly Know Our Parents?
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I find myself reflecting deeply on the strength and resilience of women—especially my mother. Her life was complex, filled with unspoken struggles and sacrifices that, even now, I’m only beginning to understand. She was a...
The Man Who Lives Under The Bridge
The Man Who Lives Under the BridgeBy Jesse Donahue 2017 ©There is a man who lives in a large drainage culvert that goes under a road near my home. He has been there for nearly a decade. You see him frequently, standing out on the sidewalk at the large drainage pipe...