The Rock and the Hard Place
I only found the “language” surrounding CPTSD very late in my life. Learning the reason for my decades of dysfunction and brokenness was my fiftieth birthday present from the universe–a genuine revelation. And long overdue. Like so many people who...
“I Feel Like I Don’t Matter” Where Does This Belief Come From? (Internalized Worthlessness)
For many, this profoundly sad notion is buried so deeply, we don’t even realize it’s driving our search for significance. Why do we believe this and how can we heal it? Internalized Worthlessness: When You Truly Believe You Don’t Matter Khalil stood...
The Body Knew Before I Did
How I accidentally built a healing practice without knowing what I was healing from In 1987, I walked into a job interview in Montreal and couldn’t say my own name. I was twenty-two. Two days earlier, I’d been at a party with friends, cracking jokes,...
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...