The Bridge You Thought Was Gone
There is a particular kind of quiet that follows trauma. Not the peaceful kind or the kind you choose. But the kind that settles in when something inside you has gone still… or far away. And in that quiet, a thought begins to form—sometimes softly or sometimes with a...
Peace at your own pace this summer
Summer can bring great weather, vacations, and gatherings. Though for many living with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) it can also induce, or bring with it, emotional exhaustion, loneliness, overstimulation, and/or painful memories. Summer can also...
The abuse without bruises: How emotional harm in childhood is overlooked
In August of 1992 I ran from my home on East Goldsborough Street to the local police station. I arrived sweating, panting, my face red with fury and with the oppressive Northwest Indiana heat. I was 17 years old, and didn’t realize what I was doing until I was...
The Trauma Survivor Who Can Handle Crisis but Not Rest
Some trauma survivors are strangely good in a crisis. Not pretend-good. Actually good. They can make the call, pack the bag, drive through the storm, calm the child, read the room, manage the drunk relative, talk someone down, hide their own fear, remember...
Not normal but typical. Four words that guided my healing from CPTSD.
For most of my life, I described my childhood as merely difficult. It was a sanitizing word, one that painted over abuse, neglect, and chaos with a veneer of normalcy. To the outside world, I seemed to be living the American dream. I was a successful...
Survival Mode & Perimenopause
I’m sharing this not only as a practitioner, but as a woman who has lived this. As someone with a history of trauma—and someone who has committed deeply to her own inner work—I recognize these patterns not just professionally, but personally. I see them often in the...
Who Taught You To Carry All Of This?
Some children become adults before anyone notices they were children. They learn early how to pay attention. They notice tension before anyone speaks about it. They become skilled at reading the room, anticipating problems, and adapting to whatever the moment...
Clinical Observations from an Estrangement Clinician: Observation #4
I am an estrangement clinician primarily working with parents who are estranged from their adult sons and/or daughters. Estrangement is a unique phenomenon requiring a specialized approach. My lived experience as an estranged parent is a far greater...
When Adults Talk Children Out of Themselves
Plenty of children never needed fixing, they needed adults who could tell guidance from control and knew when to protect a developing self rather than reshape it to satisfy adult fear, image, religion, family loyalty, gender rules, envy, convenience, or unexamined...Follow, Like, & Share!
