by Susan Morris | Nov 24, 2021 | Abandonment and CPTSD, ACEs, Anxiety, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Holiday Stress, Hope, Self Care, Surviving the Holidays
If you’ve lived through a traumatic childhood or domestic violence situation, you may not know what it feels like to feel jolly. Some of us feel a sense of dread the closer it gets to the holidays as the holidays approach. The trauma triggers are different for...
by Robyn Brickel | Nov 23, 2021 | CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor, Holiday Stress, Holidays
Do holiday family gatherings stir up feelings of excitement and dread at the same time? Do you worry about holiday stress ruining your chance to enjoy yourself and your family? Sometimes, joining family celebrations can trigger mixed feelings. We want to be part of...
by Shirley Davis | Nov 22, 2021 | Complex PTSD Healing, Holiday Stress
Thanksgiving is upon us and with it comes people sharing a meal and discussing how grateful they are for their lives and their loved ones. However, it is vital to understand that not everyone is grateful, but they feel pain in its place. This article will explore a...
by Mari Stewart | Nov 18, 2021 | Anxiety, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Holiday Stress, Self Care
Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. Putting my family together with the expectations of a celebration to rival the covers of the Saturday Evening Post never worked out well. It was more like a production of The Crucible. For many years, and I know I’m not alone...
by Roseanne Reilly | Nov 17, 2021 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Anxiety, Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing
Nervousness is normal when we have to face new and challenging situations, experiences, tests, interviews, presentations, or awkward family events.However, if you find that you are beginning to overly avoid situations (people, places, feelings) you could be left to...
by Sheri Heller | Nov 16, 2021 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Attachment Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, Guest Contributor, Healing Codependency, Healthy Relationships
There’s no doubt that the quest for love is universal. The giving and receiving of love are as fundamental to our well-being as the air we breathe. In fact, according to the maternal deprivation hypothesis infants regardless of whether they are puppies, monkeys or...
by Shirley Davis | Nov 15, 2021 | Complex PTSD Healing, Grief, Post Traumatic Growth
In the first article of this series, we focused on toxic positivity and gratitude shaming. We spoke about how while gratitude is an important part of our life; it is unnecessary to be grateful for the harmful things that have happened to us such as childhood trauma....
by Paul Michael Marinello | Nov 11, 2021 | CPTSD and PTSD, Parental Alienation
This Wasted Day I was awoken by my alarm promptly at 5 a.m. this morning, the same time it is set for on all seven days. I have always preferred mornings, in darkness, prior to the sunlight’s blissful rise to capture the essence of my day. These morning hours bring...
by Matt | Nov 11, 2021 | Holiday Stress, Holidays, Surviving the Holidays
Let’s face it, really any day can be stressful for survivors. Random triggers, depression, anxiety, dissociating can simply occur at the drop of a hat. it’s all part of the deal in recovery. So even though there are countless circumstances that can raise the anxiety...
by Robyn Brickel | Nov 10, 2021 | Gaslighting, Relationships
If someone tries to erode your self-confidence, deny your experience, or plant seeds of self-doubt, there’s a word for that: Gaslighting. “You only think you know.” “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” “I never said that.” Gaslighting is abuse. It happens in...
