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...
by Milena "Mila" Stankovic | Nov 23, 2022 | Anxiety, Attachment Trauma, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame
Disclaimer Affiliate Links: Partners in Men’s Health I am a writer and an empathetic person. I absorb the emotions of others, whether I want to. I am very well attuned to other people’s moods, both good and bad. Before I learned to protect myself from bad energies, I...
by Jamie Donmoyer | Oct 20, 2022 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Codependency, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Family Estrangement, Healing from Toxic Shame, Healing Self-Shame, Healthy Relationships, Mindfulness, Relationships, Trauma-Informed
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Congratulations! You’ve decided that you’re through being abused by a toxic parent, partner, or friend and are ready to go No Contact. Good for you! You’re taking a HUGE, healthy step! Your first urge? To explain why. You want to...
by Heidi Fischer | Oct 5, 2022 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame
This article was originally published on The Mighty. There is a therapy trick that I’m willing to bet you’ve heard of. It’s a popular technique used to quiet down negative self-talk, a type of reframing called “naming.” Basically, you give your inner critic a name...
by Heidi Fischer | Jul 20, 2022 | Complex PTSD Healing, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame, Hypervigilance
Have you ever noticed that you are hyper-aware of other people’s changing moods? This awareness could be a trauma response. It could be that you haven’t always exactly known what you were experiencing, but you recognize that you can regularly detect when...
by Kate K | Apr 21, 2022 | CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Guest Contributor, Healing from Toxic Shame, Healing Self-Shame, Mindfulness, Self-Acceptance
A decade ago, I had a counselor refer to CPTSD as a “psychiatric injury” as opposed to a “mental illness”. Something about that delineation really helped me understand the reality of what was going on. It wasn’t “me” that was the problem, the problem was “what...
