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...
by Milena Koljensic | Feb 1, 2023 | Guest Contributor, Healing Codependency, Recovery
There are life lessons our parents teach us, life lessons we learn on our own, and also life lessons that only our best friends can teach us. Best friends are essential for anyone’s life. You understand relationships are when you’ll be able to truly count on a few...
by Susan Morris | Nov 29, 2022 | Boundaries, Building Resilience in Healing, Codependency, Domestic Violence, Emotional Wellness, Feeling Good Enough, Guest Contributor, Healing Codependency, Healing Self-Shame, Hope, Recovery, Self Care, Self-Acceptance
The aftermath of an abusive relationship can be a challenging time. You may feel like you’re not good enough, that you deserve the abuse, or that you’ll never be able to find someone else. It’s important to remember that none of these things are...
by Jamie Donmoyer | Aug 16, 2022 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Brain Chemistry, Building Resilience in Healing, Codependency, Combat Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD and Parenting, Emotional Wellness, Family Estrangement, Gaslighting, Grief, Healing Codependency, Healthy Relationships, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Parental Alienation, Relationships, Silent Bystander Parents
Practice breaking contact with toxic parents in this “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style story. Based on events experienced by the child of a narcissistic parent. Photo by Kevin Butz on Unsplash CONGRATULATIONS! After a lifetime of narcissistic abuse, you’ve decided 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 7, 2022 | Anxiety, Attachment Trauma, CPTSD, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Grief, Healing Codependency, Healthy Relationships, Trauma
How to Break A Trauma Bond I could hear the yelling outside despite the fact that I was in the house with the door closed. My husband was on a cell phone with my trauma-bonded abuser. They weren’t on speaker either. I could still hear every word. Cultivated over many...
