What Are The Roles in Dysfunctional Family Systems?

A Short Childhood Story I was finally old enough to go to school and get away from my mother’s screaming, beatings, and sexual abuse. My older brother and I smiled together as we got on the school bus that day. We were both glad to be getting away. First grade was the...
Scapegoated!

Scapegoated!

Scapegoated!  (as published in The Friday Edition of HeartBalm Healing at https://heartbalm.substack.com) For the adult who blames themselves – who see things go wrong around them and perceives the familiar feelings of self-blame, guilt, shame, and “it’s my fault”...

Courage, Self-Love and Complex Trauma (CPTSD)

Complex trauma is an amalgamation of long-term abuse and neglect, and therefore when trying to understand a traumatic past from an adult perspective it reveals itself as a confusing mosaic of multi-layered events, scattered along our timeline from the non-verbal stage...