by Madelon Wise | Jul 14, 2023 | Abandonment and CPTSD, ACEs, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor
After my mother died, there it would be in my lunch box: Wonder bread enveloping two slices of flabby, sodium-laden meat. Second, only to the chemicals, the processed-beyond-belief combination of pork, spices, and beef was infused with green olives and pimentos. Yes,...
by Julie Faruba | Jul 4, 2023 | Brain Chemistry, Core Beliefs, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Dissociation and CPTSD, Guest Contributor, PTSD, The Brain and CPTSD, Trauma
In a little over a week, I and the (mental) health director of the Jeffry Stijn Foundation for Mental Health and Patient Advocacy, will be attending the 34th Annual Boston International Trauma Conference virtually. A few days ago I decided to read Bessel van der...
by Rebekah Brown | Jun 15, 2023 | Anxiety, Boundaries, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor
TRIGGER WARNING: This blog discusses sexual abuse ~In any bereavement, it is seldom clear what exactly is lost ~The things we have stored away deep in our hearts grapple with reality In any type of loss, there is a period of time when the loss does not seem...
by Julie Faruba | Jun 8, 2023 | CPTSD and Self-Harm, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Depression, Guest Contributor, Hope, Hypervigilance, Recovery, Substance Abuse, Suicide Prevention
Hello everyone! My name is Julie, and I am joining the CPTSD Foundation as a blog contributor. Allow me to introduce myself. I am first and foremost a writer. I write under the pen name Just Julie. I am also an entrepreneur, a mental health patient advocate, a human...
by Elizabeth Woods | May 30, 2023 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Sexual Abuse, The Brain and CPTSD
TRIGGER WARNING – THIS POST DISCUSSES SEXUAL ABUSE My name is Elizabeth and I am a survivor of sexual abuse. I suffered the worst abuse during my first years if you can call any sexual abuse worse than any other. I think the fact that I was so young made the...
by Rebekah Brown | May 25, 2023 | Attachment Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Healing Codependency, Healing from Toxic Shame, Self-Acceptance, Sexual Abuse
***TRIGGER WARNING: This article discusses abuse. *** What is Enmeshment? Enmeshment describes a relationship pattern between two people or a group of people in which personal boundaries are unclear. It is a hallmark of dysfunctional families and affects...