Not normal but typical. Four words that guided my healing from CPTSD.
For most of my life, I described my childhood as merely difficult. It was a sanitizing word, one that painted over abuse, neglect, and chaos with a veneer of normalcy. To the outside world, I seemed to be living the American dream. I was a successful...
What if I am Damaged for Good?
What if I will never heal from trauma? What if my nervous system is so damaged from childhood trauma that no amount of therapy and practice will reteach it a sense of safety in places and situations that trigger me? Is it possible for a nervous system to be so...
What Is Trauma Therapy Really About?
Before becoming a trauma therapist, I thought trauma therapy was this scary process where people had to relive their trauma in order to feel better. I think the media plays a big role in this belief. Many of my clients share similar fears when I ask what they expect...
Rewriting the Script: Changing the Song and Scenery of Our Now
Part I: As I listen to Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” on a loop, I mentally counter the lyrics with the fantasy that the sun will just fall from the sky. Can’t it do me the courtesy of burning out and shrouding me in complete darkness at long last? All...



