Completing the Stress Cycle: The Key to True Healing
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...
How Our Emotional and Relational Trauma Creates Clutter
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...
Why Childhood Trauma Survivors Blame Themselves
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...
An Attack on All Fronts: The Mind-Body-Soul Divide-and-Conquer Technique of Narcissistic Abuse (Part 4 of 4)
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...
5 Valuable Life Skills Often Learned by Those With Complex PTSD
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...
Parenting with PTSD
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...
Finding Your Life After Trauma
Do you remember the last time you noticed you were glossing over your own needs? Like the time you were really tired at work and had a big birthday party to celebrate that evening, and your boss dropped another manual on your desk asking for a synopsis by morning, to...
Cracking the Code: Unraveling Triggers for Mastering Emotional Regulation
This month, I will explore the topic of emotional dysregulation, as it is one of the defining symptoms of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and wreaks havoc for the trauma survivor trying to navigate the workplace. Emotional dysregulation refers to...