by Madelon Wise | May 19, 2023 | CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Relationships, Shame, Toxic Relationships, Trauma, Trust
I was 19 years old, barely out of high school, and trauma had eaten away at my psyche like burning frostbite. Colorado to Alaska, Alaska to Iowa. Iowa to Montana, Montana to Colorado, Colorado to Iowa. Wherever he went, my dog, Abraxas, and I followed. In January...
by Belinda Pyle | May 16, 2023 | Anxiety, Attachment Trauma, Building Resilience in Healing, Combat Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Depression, Feeling Good Enough, Generational Trauma, Hope, Mental Health Advocacy, Pain, Post Traumatic Growth, PTSD, Recovery, Relationships, Self Care, Self-Acceptance, Symptoms of CPTSD, Trauma, Trauma-Informed, Triggers
Ever have something happen to you and suddenly, you’re part of THAT club: every person you meet has experienced the same. Get pregnant, everyone is pregnant. Get divorced, everyone is getting divorced. Get CPTSD, everyone has CPTSD. The pregnancy club membership was...
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 Belinda Pyle | Apr 7, 2023 | Anxiety, Building Resilience in Healing, Combat Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Depression, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Healthy Relationships, Hope, Life Management Skills, Post Traumatic Growth, PTSD, Recovery, Relationships, Self Care, Self-Acceptance, Symptoms of CPTSD, Trauma
The stigma surrounding medications for mental illness often drives people away from what they need most. Many people innocently say, “I hate taking medications” or “I would never take them”. Isn’t it lovely that some people have a choice? People who don’t need...
by Madelon Wise | Mar 14, 2023 | CPTSD Survivor Stories, Grief, Guest Contributor, Relationships, Toxic Relationships
We were newlyweds living in Missoula, Montana. I loved the funky town. But the best part of being there was that it was 1,300 miles away from Waterloo, Iowa, where Tom’s parents lived, and 862 miles from Greeley, Colorado, where mine lived. I didn’t know much, but I...
by Shigeko Ito | Mar 7, 2023 | ACEs, Anxiety, Attachment Trauma, CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Generational Trauma, Guest Contributor
Growing up in Japan with a workaholic surgeon father, an often-absent socialite mother, and two older brothers who were seldom around, I was mostly raised by a revolving door of caregivers. This unstable home environment likely made me a melancholic, anxious child...
