Do I Have Toxic Parents? NARCISSISTIC ABUSE: Setting Boundaries – Choose Your Own Adventure

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...

How to Keep a Friend – Managing Conflict

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...
How to Choose the Right Kind of Friends

How to Choose the Right Kind of Friends

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,...
Scapegoated!

Scapegoated!

Scapegoated!  (as published in The Friday Edition of HeartBalm Healing at https://heartbalm.substack.com) For the adult who blames themselves – who see things go wrong around them and perceives the familiar feelings of self-blame, guilt, shame, and “it’s my fault”...