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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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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
We Are But Storytellers… In a World of Pretending
By Jesse B. Donahue 2020 ©For one to pretend… it is what we do. We make things up, make-believe, and make real our pretense of childhood games and the adult world of games around us. I can be a...
Completing the Stress Cycle: The Key to True Healing
In our journey to overcome chronic stress and trauma, many of us have a strong desire to "break the cycle." But here's the vital piece of information that often gets overlooked: to break the...
How Our Emotional and Relational Trauma Creates Clutter
Not knowing or fully understanding what’s behind all the mess can be scary Life clutter shows up in many ways aside from our physical spaces. It’s a puzzle with many pieces that include...
Why Childhood Trauma Survivors Blame Themselves
In my forties, I was a part of a support group for survivors of abuse. Most of the women who attended were dealing with abusive partners. I was the only one sharing about childhood abuse, though...
An Attack on All Fronts: The Mind-Body-Soul Divide-and-Conquer Technique of Narcissistic Abuse (Part 4 of 4)
Part 4 of 4: As quickly as I could after the nervous breakdown, I kept going because recovery time from violent relationships was not covered by my health insurance. I was a sloppy, hot mess. (My...
5 Valuable Life Skills Often Learned by Those With Complex PTSD
Strengths can be found in childhood survival strategies. Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is much more prevalent than anyone might surmise. Because adults who managed this attachment...
Parenting with PTSD
How do I not repeat the mistakes of my parents? One of the most common questions I get is, "Rachel, how do I not repeat the mistakes of my parents?" My first answer is always, "Well, you are...

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”.