by Rebekah Brown | Apr 7, 2021 | Attachment Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Feeling Good Enough, Outer Critic, Self-Acceptance
First grade was the first time in my life I felt understood. I loved everything about school. The snacks, the smell of mimeographed worksheets, learning how to read and write, the playground, and most of all, I loved my teacher Mrs. King. She was the first adult I had...
by Rebekah Brown | Mar 24, 2021 | Attachment Trauma, CPTSD, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Flashbacks, Outer Critic, Polyvagal Theory and CPTSD, Symptoms of CPTSD, The Brain and CPTSD
The Thumb-Sucker Fight or flight: the instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which readies one either to resist forcibly or to run away. **Please be kind to yourself as you read** I thought I was safe. At four years old, I believed if I...
by Rebekah Brown | Feb 4, 2021 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Wellness, Feeling Good Enough, Grief, Healing from Toxic Shame, Healthy Relationships, Outer Critic
Gaslighting: to manipulate (someone) by psychological or abusive means into questioning reality. I had watched my big brother board the school bus every day for the last year. Now, it was finally my turn. The very first week of first grade, my teacher, Mrs. King,...
by Randi | Feb 2, 2021 | Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor, Outer Critic
We assume we know people’s lives by the mere glimpses they show us. We think we know someone based on the brief encounters we exchange on our way to work or when we bump into each other. The playdates where we talk about our kids. The smiling family photos on...
by Chris Prange-Morgan | Oct 9, 2020 | ACEs, Attachment Trauma, CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Hypervigilance, Mindfulness, Outer Critic, Trauma-Informed
Sometimes raising a child with developmental trauma feels like drowning. During the pandemic, the usual lifelines of educational and community support are decreased or absent, and many parents are left feeling suffocated and alone. Our son spent two years languishing...
by Dan | Jun 18, 2020 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Dissociation and CPTSD, Emotional Flashbacks, Grief, Healthy Relationships, Men's Mental Health, Mindfulness, Outer Critic, Symptoms of CPTSD, The Brain and CPTSD
My Amygdala: A Love Story (Part I) This is not your average love story, but I think it’s a love story nonetheless. It begins with desperation and jealousy, with insecurity and fear; fear of loss of love. It begins with horror at the thought of being shamed,...