by Milena Koljensic | Dec 29, 2022 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Healthy Relationships, Hope
Why do we believe that we don’t deserve better? I will tell you a universal secret: we do deserve better. Love doesn’t hurt. Broken illusions hurt, not sorting your codependency hurts. But True Love, my dear readers don’t hurt. I’ve been in very toxic...
by Rebekah Brown | Dec 19, 2022 | Healthy Relationships, Holiday Stress, Holidays, Surviving the Holidays
The Mother of all re-gifting stories I recently regifted a present. It was a journal someone had given me that I could not use. Another friend enjoyed journals, so instead of sending it to Goodwill, I regifted it. As I sat across from my friend, the gift bag...
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 Jamie Donmoyer | Aug 24, 2022 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, Building Resilience in Healing, Codependency, Combat Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD and Parenting, Family Estrangement, Gaslighting, Guest Contributor, Healthy Relationships, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Parental Aliention
The positives and pitfalls of cutting communication with a toxic parent. Written by the scapegoat child of a narcissistic parent. So, you’ve decided to go “no contact” with a toxic parent. Congratulations! Maybe you’re exhausted from the angry messages, controlling...
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...