by Rebekah Brown | Feb 16, 2023 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Feeling Good Enough, Generational Trauma, Guest Contributor, Healthy Relationships, Self Care, Symptoms of CPTSD, Trauma-Informed
My hand lingered along the crystal punch bowl. I flicked it with my finger and listened to the high-pitched ding only real lead crystal can make. Setting out eight matching punch cups, I mixed ginger ale with Hawaiian punch and stirred. It was a time of celebration...
by Madelon Wise | Feb 15, 2023 | ACEs, CPTSD, Gaslighting, Generational Trauma
I spent the summer of 1963 at my Aunt Sue’s house across the bay from San Francisco. It wasn’t clear to me nor is it now, exactly how Aunt Sue and I were related, but I know that her dead husband shared a name with my maternal grandfather. She was childless, and...
by Elizabeth Woods | Feb 14, 2023 | CPTSD, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Triggers
***Trigger Warning*** This guest post discusses specific, explicit, aspects of a personal trauma story. Please be kind to yourself as you read. Complex PTSD is a long-term condition caused by childhood abuse and trauma. A survivor is someone who was exposed to...
by Shirley Davis | Feb 13, 2023 | CPTSD, Generational Trauma, Going No Contact
We have been exploring together the ins and outs of going no contact with a family of origin. As we have seen, going no contact is a dramatic and often traumatic event that allows you some peace when your family denies your past abuse or is still abusing you. This...
by Heidi Fischer | Feb 10, 2023 | Attachment Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Triggers
“Matilda the Musical” has burst onto the Netflix scene, and you my friend decided to give it a go. I don’t blame you! I put it on too because as a child of the 80’s I loved the book and the 1996 movie version! Perhaps you also remember it from way back then or just...
by Jeff Spiteri | Feb 9, 2023 | Mental Health Advocacy, Pain, Self Care, Spirituality, Trauma, Treatment, Treatment for CPTSD
When I discuss Trauma treatments with people whether it be for PTSD or CPTSD I often hear a range of modalities from classical talk therapies like CBT and DBT to Somatic Experiencing, neuro hacks like EMDR and TRE, to cutting-edge research on psychedelics but rarely...
by Cyndi Bennett | Feb 8, 2023 | CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor, Workplace Trauma
Featured Image from Amer Mughawish on Unsplash Creating a sense of belonging among employees is a top priority for every successful company. Top companies invest millions of dollars in repairing a broken onboarding process because they realize the importance of...
by Sunny Lynn, OMC | Feb 7, 2023 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Attachment Trauma, Dissociation and CPTSD, Emotional Flashbacks
Lost in the Woods: An Inside Look at the Fractured Experience of Trauma (as published in The Friday Edition of HeartBalm Healing at https://heartbalm.substack.com) INTRODUCTION: In the previous Friday Editon, I wrote about The Downward Spiral of Flashbacks &...
by Shirley Davis | Feb 6, 2023 | CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD and PTSD, Family Estrangement
Living with the effects of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is challenging. Survivors who have CPTSD should not have to deal with harmful family members. Going no contact is a choice that few survivors choose. Going no contact is painful and changes...
by Ramon Diaz | Feb 3, 2023 | Brain Chemistry, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Health Professional
The Impact Unresolved trauma can impact people’s lives in many ways. It creates challenges for people in how they engage with the world. People often feel trapped because the fear of experiencing a trauma-related trigger can leave them frozen with fear. People can...