by Elizabeth Woods | May 10, 2023 | CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor, Nature, Self Care
Do you sometimes feel bone-aching exhaustion? What I am referring to is the tiredness you feel when you have depleted all mental and physical resources and your body just craves rest and relaxation. For survivors of CSA, sometimes sleep is just not enough, and our...
by Sylvie Rouhani | May 9, 2023 | ACEs, CPTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Advocacy, Trauma-Informed
February was a busy month, filled with hashtags: #TimeToTalk; #ItsOkNotToBeOK; #childrenmentalhealthweek, and #ItsNotOk, for Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. These are all important topics to learn about and discuss. They are definitely great 1st steps...
by Shirley Davis | May 8, 2023 | CPTSD and PTSD, Self Care, self trust, Substance Abuse
Many people lack self-trust, having instead a deep-seated dislike and mistrust of themselves. Those who have experienced complex trauma especially have difficulty accepting themselves and their flaws and have a measured lack of self-esteem. This article will explore...
by Beth Alford | May 5, 2023 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, Guest Contributor, Recovery, Religion and Trauma
Ultimately, it is a personal identity that takes a beating in the aftermath of trauma and where the agency, dignity, and imagination of a flourishing life are short-circuited. As survivors, we know this all too well. I just completed a year-long integrative project...
by Cyndi Bennett | May 4, 2023 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Occupational Mental Health & CPTSD, PTSD, Sexual Abuse, Trauma
Today, I am writing from the messy middle. You know the place. It is when you are in the middle of working through something difficult, and you are still trying to figure it out. That is where I am today. My relationship with my body is complicated I’ve started...
by Rebekah Brown | May 3, 2023 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Family Estrangement, Gaslighting, Guest Contributor, Relationships, Trauma
This is the sixth and last installment in a series of blogs on relationship patterns found in dysfunctional families. We have seen how abusive families put members in roles and the way abusers dodge responsibility by blaming others and forcing children to become...
by Madelon Wise | May 2, 2023 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction, Boundaries, Healthy Relationships, LGBTQ, Relationships
Once you come to your senses… Sarah and I kept in close contact after they moved, and I expected her support when I finally made the decision to leave my marriage. I was wrong. I had fallen in love with another woman. I think of this affair as more of a catalyst...
by Shirley Davis | May 1, 2023 | Addiction, CPTSD
Did you know that soda can be addictive? Soft drinks look harmless and are drunk by millions of people worldwide. Soda has been thought of as a benign substance meant to be enjoyed and served at nearly all restaurants and supermarkets. A few of you reading this...
by Wendy Hoke | Apr 28, 2023 | Artificial Intelligence, Dissociation and CPTSD, Guest Contributor
I’m a professional writer, a ghostwriter. The current buzz creating controversy in writer circles is ChatGPT, artificial intelligence. It’s an amazing tool, but it does have weaknesses. Occasionally, I write for myself. I do this with increasing frequency as I get...
by Cyndi Bennett | Apr 27, 2023 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor, Pyschotherapy, Recovery, Trauma, Treatment, Treatment for CPTSD, Workplace Trauma
My therapist and I recently ventured into the therapy modality called brainspotting. We have been using EMDR with some success to help me process the trauma from my childhood. As we began to work on the trauma-related dissociation I was experiencing, my therapist...