From Survival to Connection: Supporting Adult Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Recently, I received a message from a podcast listener requesting a special episode addressed to people who live with and/or love someone with CPTSD. His message highlighted the importance of education related to complex trauma for both survivors and those who love...
Anxiety in Today’s Society: Strategies to Reduce Anxiety
Do you worry about things all the time? Is your mind full of noise? Anxiety is the emotion that people feel involving tension, fear, and worry in response to a threat or a perceived threat. Anxiety triggers a stress reaction in the body, which manifests in several...
In Fight Mode: When Survival Looks Like Defiance
Trigger Warning: This post contains references to traumatic childhood experiences, including recalled memories of abuse and descriptions of the author’s trauma responses. Please take care while reading. I’m surprised I wasn’t born wearing a tiny pair of...
How Collaging Brings Me Peace, Confidence, and Empowerment
It’s a gloomy winter evening, my seasonal depression is at its worst, and I’ve just finished a difficult day at work. What’s keeping me together? Ripping, cutting, arranging, and gluing pieces of textured paper down on a page in my art journal. My mind goes from...
11 Reasons to Never Be Embarrassed About Anything You Did as a Kid
Your day’s going fine until BAM! You crumble in shame over a dumb thing you said when you were 15. Let’s talk about “shame flashbacks”, how they haunt complex trauma survivors, and how to break free. The Aftershocks of Childhood Shame: A Guide...
A Feeling Like No Other… Believe it, then achieve it.
It’s official, my MFA is in the bag. I did it! I have achieved a Master’s degree in Writing. It’s a dream come true for me. Something I could only dream about over the years. My dream started when I was about four or five years old. I was living a nightmare childhood....
Freedom To Feel
There is a quiet longing many recovering from CPTSD carry: the desire to feel free again. Not to be overwhelmed by emotion, not to shut it down, but to feel without fear of what might happen inside. And yet, for so many, this feels just out of reach. It is not because...
“I’ve Forgotten How to Live a Normal Life”: Understanding Functional Freeze After Trauma
When basic tasks drain all your energy and what seems easy for others feels impossible for you, this isn’t weakness. It’s your nervous system protecting you. Here’s why it happens and how to heal. When Trauma Leaves You In Hibernation Mode Have you...
Who Do You Look Up To? The Importance of Role Models for Survivors of Child Abuse
My name is Elizabeth, and I am a survivor of sexual abuse and trauma. I endured things, terrible things when I was growing up. I was just a young sprout, but my lack of years and stature failed to tell everyone what I had already lived through and seen with my young...Follow, Like, & Share!
