by Madelon Wise | Mar 3, 2023 | ACEs, CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Family Estrangement, Grief, Guest Contributor
Mom died in July 1960 at the age of 42 when I was 9 years old. My father remarried a year later. They said that it was a heart attack. Later in life, my oldest brother, Mike, and I would speculate for hours on end over glasses of wine about whether she had taken her...
by Rebekah Brown | Feb 22, 2023 | Abuse, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Wellness, Gaslighting, Guest Contributor, Healthy Relationships, Parental Alienation, Relationships
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...
by Madelon Wise | Jan 17, 2023 | ACEs, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor
My brother, Mike, was 8 years older than I, and he could remember when we were a happy family. It was as though he had grown up in a different family than I had. I remember nothing but screaming, fighting, and terror. My mother was a binge drinker, and she and my...
by Madelon Wise | Jan 3, 2023 | ACEs, Addiction, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor
They were my only true friends, the books. Comic books. Fairy tales. Nancy Drew. I read incessantly, hoping to create a shell and a safe zone from the chaos all around me. I would get lost in the books. I loved having a world where I could go. They were at it again....
by Heidi Fischer | Dec 20, 2022 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Post Traumatic Growth, Self-Acceptance, Trauma
This article was originally published on The Mighty. Photos of Heidi and her friend Rachel from over the years, used with permission. Way back in the olden days of the early 2000s, I sat a friend down and let her know I needed to speak with her about something...
by Jamie Donmoyer | Dec 6, 2022 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame, Healing Self-Shame, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Shame, Symptoms of CPTSD, The Brain and CPTSD, Trauma, Trauma-Informed
Perched on a stone wall between Starbucks and a fancy purse boutique, I peer over my phone. The Hollywood Tower of Terror glows in the distance as determined parents push strollers filled with exhausted toddlers, bubble machines, and sippy cups. They can’t leave...
