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...
by Shirley Davis | Nov 8, 2021 | CPTSD and Parenting
November is the month of Thanksgiving; a month to look at one’s life and be grateful for what we have. Over turkey and the fixings, we are supposed to sit around a table Norman Rockwell style and get along famously because we have each other. Reality differs greatly...
by Susan Morris | Nov 3, 2021 | ACEs, Building Resilience in Healing
If We Can Face Our Traumas: We Lessen the Risk for Mental Health Issues, Chronic Illness, and More We all enter the world a blank slate, free of thoughts and ideas. Who we eventually become is determined by the upbringing and experiences that fill that slate. We don’t...
by Michelle Tasa | Nov 2, 2021 | CPTSD, Holiday Stress, Holidays
Training for a marathon makes sense. Training for a job evaluation-definitely. Have you thought about training for the holidays? Winter is Coming… Up here in Canada, the leaves are turning yellow and falling from the trees. Summer days give way far too easily to...
by Shirley Davis | Nov 1, 2021 | Anxiety, Complex PTSD Healing
Have you ever believed the worst about a situation that may or may not have happened? For instance, you call home from work, and your partner doesn’t answer. Immediately, you believe that there has been a horrible accident, and you just don’t know about it...
by Susan Morris | Oct 26, 2021 | ACEs, Building Resilience in Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Self Care
My mission of self-discovery began when I started documenting my journey through breast cancer. But it did not end there. The more I wrote, the more I learned. I initially wanted to know why my breast cancer diagnosis set off such a wave of sorrow inside me. Why was...
by Shirley Davis | Oct 25, 2021 | Attachment Trauma, Substance Abuse
In the first three articles, we have discussed that growing up in an alcoholic or other dysfunctional home changes the lives of the children involved forever. Alcoholism is a family disease that affects everyone and harms children. In this article, we shall explore...
by Kelly McNamara | Oct 25, 2021 | ADHD, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Healing Self-Shame, Post Traumatic Growth, Triggers
Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as CPTSD, does not only affect captives of war, those affected by institutional traumas, or severe domestic abuse. CPTSD can develop in anyone who has experienced numerous traumas and/or ongoing traumatic events over...
by Robyn Brickel | Oct 19, 2021 | CPTSD, Feeling Good Enough
What if Nothing Feels “Right”? When it comes to making choices, sometimes there’s a clear winner. The decision is easy. But it seems like these days especially, every choice is harder. There are so many shades of grey. Confusion and uncertainty persist. Information is...
by Shirley Davis | Oct 18, 2021 | Addiction, Substance Abuse
Alcohol use disorder, which includes alcoholism, is a pattern of behavior where the person cannot control their drinking and is preoccupied with drinking even when it causes them problems. For many alcoholics, what starts as having a few drinks for reasons that are...