by Madelon Wise | Apr 12, 2023 | Addiction, Boundaries, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Parental Alienation, Shame
I was here again in Colorado, staying in my stepsister’s depressing bedroom with the same intention as I had in 1968 when I returned to my parent’s home in an attempt to heal the never-ending rift between us. Dad worked as a pharmaceutical representative, and all of...
by Rebekah Brown | Mar 29, 2023 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Generational Trauma, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame, Living with Disabilities, Parental Alienation, Toxic Relationships, Trauma
When you look at patterns within dysfunctional family systems, without fail, you will find the hallmark of a false narrative. The engine of the family system runs on untruths, half-truths, and constructed reality. And it doesn’t start where your story begins....
by Robyn Brickel | Jan 24, 2023 | Boundaries, Guest Contributor, Self Care
As the world starts a new year, we start a new day — and every day is an opportunity for growth and change. Every day is a good day to take care of ourselves. You don’t have to start on January 1st with a New Year’s Resolution, and you don’t have to wait until next...
by Rebekah Brown | Jan 19, 2023 | Boundaries, Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Hope, Life Management Skills
Why a schedule is important “Schedule?” You ask. “It can’t be that simple.” I’m not talking about just any old schedule. And I’m not talking about the schedule you think you’re already on. How would you answer the following questions: -Is my day driven by the most...
by Elizabeth Marando | Dec 21, 2022 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Codependency, Guest Contributor, Healing Self-Shame
Children are often raised to be emotional jesters or even emotional objects, but my upbringing represents an unconsidered scenario: being raised as a human stuffed animal. I never realized how harmful my upbringing was until I was nineteen years old and diagnosed with...
by Jeff Spiteri | Dec 15, 2022 | Boundaries, Depression, Emotional Wellness, Feeling Good Enough, Guest Contributor, Hope, Post Traumatic Growth, PTSD, Recovery, Self Care, Suicide Prevention
My Friend Steve: I met my friend Steve in a park on the west side of Chicago in a rougher neighborhood at a homeless feeding. I was on the street at the time and passing through the city riding freight trains to the west coast of the United States. Steve was 17 and...
