Loneliness – Silent Stalker (Part 2)
“Loneliness corresponds to a discrepancy between an individual’s preferred and actual social relations (Peplau & Perlman, 1982). This discrepancy then leads to the negative experience of feeling alone and/or the distress and dysphoria of feeling...
Insomnia for Trauma Survivors Part 2
What Childhood Trauma Teaches Us In my childhood, the possibility of being attacked was everywhere. I never knew what my parents were going to do. Even when I was away at school, I remained terrified I would make some small mistake that would get reported to them....
What is Dysfunctional Shame?
“Shame is the feeling of humiliating disgrace of having been violated. Shame tells you that you are bad.” (from Shelter from the Storm) It becomes challenging to correct for shame because it is rooted in a negative belief. For example, “I am unlovable, because [fill...
The True Story of the Golden Buddha: How Breaking Brings Us Whole
Curious visitors come by the thousands to witness with their own eyes what a 5.5-ton golden miracle looks like, pondering the weight of what it means in their own lives The story of the Golden Buddha is thought to have begun around the 13th century CE, during the...How Do CPTSD & Grief Fit Together?
A Bit of Background on Grief: Many people think of grief as a reaction to the loss of a person, relationship, pet, or job. Grieving is a whole-body experience; both the body and the mind are involved. People may cry or feel sad, or they may become incredibly angry and...
Loneliness – Silent Stalker (Part 1)
“The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” — Mother Teresa The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines loneliness as a distressing feeling that accompanies the perception that one’s social needs are not being met by the...
Tidy vs. Cluttered?
Victor Frankl describes in Man’s Search for Meaning the intake process he went through at a concentration camp. Among the things he describes, one thing particularly caught my attention – the moment when each person is directed to hand over all of their...
Insomnia for Trauma Survivors Part 1
“Insomnia for trauma survivors is not a sleep problem, it is an anxiety problem.” My story For decades, I stayed up nearly all night until exhaustion forced me to pass out the next day. My brain interpreted the setting of the sun as a cue to churn. Sometimes I could...