by Ellen Tift | Jun 2, 2026 | ACEs, Anger, Anxiety, Attachment Trauma, Betrayal, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Flashbacks, Grief, Healing from Toxic Shame, Self-Acceptance
Your day’s going fine until BAM! You crumble in shame over a dumb thing you said when you were 15. Let’s talk about “shame flashbacks”, how they haunt complex trauma survivors, and how to break free. The Aftershocks of Childhood Shame: A Guide...
by Elizabeth Woods | Jun 1, 2026 | Building Resilience in Healing, CPTSD, Healing from Toxic Shame, Healing Self-Shame, Hope
It’s official, my MFA is in the bag. I did it! I have achieved a Master’s degree in Writing. It’s a dream come true for me. Something I could only dream about over the years. My dream started when I was about four or five years old. I was living a nightmare childhood....
by Elizabeth Woods | May 25, 2026 | Building Resilience in Healing, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, Healing from Toxic Shame
My name is Elizabeth, and I am a survivor of sexual abuse and trauma. I endured things, terrible things when I was growing up. I was just a young sprout, but my lack of years and stature failed to tell everyone what I had already lived through and seen with my young...
by Elizabeth Woods | Jan 29, 2026 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame
Hey, how are you feeling today? Have you taken some time for yourself today? If you are a trauma survivor, the answer is probably not. As survivors, the last person we think about is ourselves because we have spent years being suppressed into believing that we don’t...
by Dr. Mozelle Martin | Jun 5, 2025 | Boundaries, CPTSD, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame, Mental Health Awareness, Mental Health Professional, Polyvagal Theory and CPTSD, Self-Acceptance, Symptoms of CPTSD
It often looks like compassion. It often gets praised as loyalty. But for many trauma survivors, the behavior known as the fawn response isn’t about kindness—it is about survival. The fawn response is the least recognized of the four primary trauma reactions: fight,...
by Polly Hansen | May 29, 2025 | ACEs, CPTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame
“It’s amazing you survived. How come you’re so…normal and happy?”That’s what people say when I tell my story: parental neglect, sexual abuse, homelessness, being trafficked. My answer? I never gave up on me. Why? Because I wanted me. I wanted to believe I was good,...
