The Dark Chasm of Disappointment & Learned Helplessness
The Dark Chasm of Disappointment & Learned Helplessness (as published in The Friday Edition of HeartBalm Healing at https://heartbalm.substack.com) Disappointment to the average person can be upsetting and frustrating. Disappointment to the abuse and neglect...
CPTSD in the Workplace: Can trauma survivors be good leaders?
One of the questions I get from trauma survivors is whether they are really capable of being a leader. The short answer is an unequivocal “YES, of course.” There are several things that trauma survivors should pay attention to if they want to be good, effective...
Incest and Its Impact on the Body
Incest can create a severe ripple effect in someone’s life. People that relate to the person who experienced incest are affected negatively. Families and loved ones are left confused about why a person would harm a loved one in this manner. Moral reasoning begins to...Complicated Grief
I looked out over the south rim of the Grand Canyon and thought about the epochs of time it took to shape such a place. I always heard everyone say pictures don’t do it justice. They were right. No matter how panoramic I tried to make my camera, I simply could...Navigating Medical Trauma with CPTSD
TRIGGER WARNING: the following article discusses sexual assault. My CPTSD is based on traumas that started in early childhood. I have no conscious memory of “normal.” My traumas are old, familiar enemies. I know them well. They’ve become characters in my mind to...
The Simple Question a Crisis Worker Asked Me That Helped Calm My Panic Attack
This article was originally published on The Mighty. My thoughts come at me too quickly, too loudly — it’s as if my mind is shouting. At the same time, my heart is racing and I find it difficult to breathe. I grip the kitchen counter to stop myself from falling over....Having Asperger’s Syndrome with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
There are many types of neurodivergence among humans, some helpful, others harmful. The two getting the most notice are Asperger’s Syndrome and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, with headlines and movies putting them in the spotlight. This article will...Understanding Narcissism
(as published in The Friday Edition of HeartBalm Healing at https://heartbalm.substack.com) The term narcissism and its variations get thrown around quite often and the definitions are mixed up and can be lost in translation. It’s important to be clear about this term...