by Rebekah Brown | Nov 15, 2022 | CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Dissociation and CPTSD, Holiday Stress, Holidays
Why are the holidays so difficult for survivors of trauma? Because holidays bring up all of the helpless, paralyzing, vulnerable feelings of the family we have struggled with all our lives. Goaded by themes of gathering at Thanksgiving, heartbreak comes to the...
by Jamie Donmoyer | Nov 10, 2022 | Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, EMDR, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, PTSD, Shame, Trauma, Trauma-Informed, Treatment for CPTSD
“Breathe deeply.” I close my eyes and belly breathe as my EMDR therapist scoots her chair closer. This is standard practice in our weekly sessions. Soon she’ll tell me to open my eyes, focus on a certain phrase or idea, and follow her finger left and right. Sometimes...
by Jamie Donmoyer | Oct 3, 2022 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Anxiety, Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Building Resilience in Healing, Codependency, Combat Trauma, CPTSD, CPTSD and Parenting, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Relationships, Silent Bystander Parents
Parental Narcissistic Abuse isn’t fun, but practicing setting boundaries can be with this “Choose Your Own Adventure”- style original story. Based on events experienced by the scapegoat of a narcissistic parent. Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash Section 1 1 It’s a...
by Mari Stewart | Aug 8, 2022 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Depression, Domestic Violence, Emotional Flashbacks, Family Estrangement
***Trigger Warning – This article speaks about domestic violence*** The relationships between those with CPTSD and family are usually difficult. Typically the problems fall beyond the usual ‘you took my sweater’ level of travail.Last night as I was trying to...
by Rebekah Brown | Jul 28, 2022 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Building Resilience in Healing, Codependency, CPTSD, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Wellness, Family Estrangement, Feeling Good Enough, Healing Codependency, Healing Self-Shame, Healthy Relationships, Mindfulness, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Trauma
Conflict panics me. Okay? There…I said it. I am the first to run for cover at the smell of conflict. Why? Because childhood trauma taught me to confuse the two. To me, having a conflict with someone means trauma. And so…avoiding conflict becomes the goal...
by Rebekah Brown | Jul 21, 2022 | Abandonment and CPTSD, Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Codependency, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Wellness, Self-Acceptance, Sexual Abuse, Spirituality, Trauma
Survivors have been damaged by relationships and relationships are the pathway toward healing. What a terrible statement. The thing that did us so much harm is the thing we must have in order to get well. This is the dilemma for a survivor of trauma. In addition,...
