by Shirley Davis | Mar 13, 2023 | CPTSD and PTSD, Self Care, Self-Acceptance
In this series on core beliefs, we are discussing how these self-imposed and self-defining thought patterns can either help or hinder you and your life. Because of childhood maltreatment, many survivors are left struggling to find who they are and struggling with many...
by Sunny Lynn, OMC | Mar 10, 2023 | Abandonment and CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor
Surviving While Trying to Thrive: Life with CPTSD (as published in The Friday Edition of HeartBalm Healing at https://heartbalm.substack.com) “Surviving while f*cking trying to thrive” was the initial title for this piece but it is a better explicit beginning...
by Elizabeth Woods | Mar 7, 2023 | CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Family Estrangement, Grief, Guest Contributor
My name is Elizabeth and I am a survivor of CSA and horrific trauma. Abuse and fear are all I can remember from my childhood. I was a sex toy, loaned out for the pleasure of my so-called father’s and his pedophile friends’ enjoyment from his sports club. I was...
by Shirley Davis | Mar 6, 2023 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness
All of us have core beliefs that we hold about ourselves. These beliefs shape who we fundamentally are and how we behave. This article, the first in this series, will focus on negative core beliefs, what they are, and how they affect our lives. What are Core Beliefs?...
by Cyndi Bennett | Mar 2, 2023 | Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Flashbacks, Guest Contributor, Life Management Skills, Occupational Mental Health & CPTSD, Symptoms of CPTSD, Trauma, Triggers, Workplace Trauma
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash One of the defining characteristics of CPTSD is severe and persistent problems in affect regulation. In my first article, I wrote, “Affect regulation, sometimes called emotional dysregulation, relates to having strongly felt...
by Elizabeth Woods | Mar 1, 2023 | CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and PTSD, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor
A child that has suffered trauma and abuse in one form or other has had to adapt to the stressors and hurt. It doesn’t matter if the abuse was emotional, physical, or sexual, that child has been damaged in his or her development. In an abusive environment, a...