Trauma-Informed Blog
Content relevant to survivors, mental health professionals, partners, and anyone interested in reading about CPTSD and mental health.
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New posts 4-5 times per week
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Survivor stories, research articles, poetry, and more
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Everyday survivors, clinicians, coaches, and mental health professionals
Living Autistic Survival Amid PTSD: Finding Myself in Grace Tame’s Story
An autistic survivor holds the ability to shred apart norms but often also holds fears of not being the correct voice An autistic survivor of abuse seemingly stands on a pedestal about to fall into repression of feelings or being the needed honest one. An autistic...
Recognizing the Signs of Toxic Relationships: A Guide to Self-Awareness
Have you ever woken up on a sunny day only to realize by mid-afternoon that the sky had darkened and heavy clouds were threatening rain? You might have had no idea when the sun had ducked behind a cloud or when the day had darkened. That’s what toxic relationships...
Understanding Survival Mode in CPTSD: Why It Can Take Years to Identify
 For those living with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), recognizing that they are stuck in survival mode can be incredibly challenging. Survival mode is a state where the body and mind are constantly on high alert, prepared to respond to perceived...
A Writer’s Brain – The Gift
By Jesse Donahue 2018 ©I have heard of the right and left hemispheres of the human brain. Right brain, left brain thinking, a term thrown about by those in the know… which leaves me out. Where do I stand on the condition of the right brain being the creative side…...
The Healing Power of Horse Therapy for Trauma Survivors (Part 1 of 2)
*Warning. This article contains references to childhood sexual abuse I grew up a crazy obsessed horse lover. From how they smelled to their warm and velvety noses to their kind and soulful eyes, I couldn’t get enough of these magnificent creatures. My mom...
Creating a Safe Haven: Building Workplace Support Systems for Trauma Survivors Creating a Safe Haven
Building a support system in the workplace is crucial for trauma survivors as it can provide the understanding, validation, and connection needed for healing and recovery. The challenge that many trauma survivors face is connected to the relational nature of their...
Knowing Your F Type and The Clutter It Creates
For many years, I heard about being in fight or flight mode or being triggered and brought outside of my nervous system window. I learned that there are more than those two states we can go into when we perceive that we are unsafe. These states are now known as ...
Restoring My Spirituality After Years of Religious Abuse
As a trauma survivor with nowhere to turn, I did what so many desperate and lonely do: I sought Jesus. Having grown up in Texas, Christianity was the only belief system I knew, so I found the dusty Bible in the back of my closet and opened it. I was soon filled...
The Importance of Role-Models for Survivors of Abuse
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...
Shattered: A Bestie Story of Love & Friendship
The strong, sickly sweet smell of lilies never fails to riot my belly. When I breathe them in, I am transported back to your service, and scores of memories tear a path from my heart to my brain. Even now, I miss you with a fierceness that makes me want to jump...
Triumph Together: Building Your Anxiety-Busting Tribe
I have been focusing on anxiety and panic attacks this month because they are so prevalent and disruptive in the workplace. For trauma survivors, fear and anxiety over the unpredictable nature of trauma triggers is a daily occurrence. Often, what happens is that we...
Mom Plays Whistleblower: An Unconventional Advocacy Outline
A darkened heart still pumps on Feminist vigilante movie trailers play on as viewers wonder which actress often typecast as the wife will now get her chance for more. They can, at last, play the scorned woman out to kill a predator. This female lead fights outside...
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What is Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
“Complex PTSD comes in response to chronic traumatization over the course of months or, more often, years. This can include emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuses, domestic violence, living in a war zone, being held captive, human trafficking, and other organized rings of abuse, and more. While there are exceptional circumstances where adults develop C-PTSD, it is most often seen in those whose trauma occurred in childhood”.Â