Trauma-Informed Blog
New content weekly! Survivor Stories, Research Articles, Poetry, and more written by clinicians, coaches, survivors, and mental health professionals.
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Don’t Talk, Don’t Think, Don’t Feel
What does CPTSD feel like? Although Complex PTSD is different for everyone, these are some examples of what it feels like when having a flashback: Imagine jumping out of bed screaming at 3 AM,...
Clinical Observations from an Estrangement Clinician
I am an estrangement clinician primarily working with parents who are estranged from their adult sons or daughters. My lived experience as an estranged parent is a far greater credential than my...
Avoiding Loneliness
“I'm lonely. And I'm lonely in some horribly deep way and for a flash of an instant, I can see just how lonely, and how deep this feeling runs. And it scares the shit out of me to be this lonely...
How Trauma Survivors Can Conquer Insomnia
The good news is that trauma survivors can conquer insomnia. The bad news: it takes time. I’ve had insomnia for nearly fifty years. Habits that have gone on that long aren’t going to change...
Symphony of Self-Discovery: Nurturing Core Beingness in the Tapestry of Healing
In the quiet corridors of our souls, where echoes of forgotten laughter and the whispers of untold stories reside, lies the essence of our being—our core being. It is a treasure chest...
Mistakes and Magnification: A CPTSD Love Story
A few weeks ago, I left one job to take on a new full-time job, which didn't work out. Simultaneously, I finished a series of graduate education courses I'd been taking. This combination of...
Why Trauma-Informed Care Needs Widespread Practice
I recently gave a keynote talk at the 6th Annual Medical Symposium on Human Trafficking, a combined effort by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and ImPACT Virginia, a...
The Easter Season
Easter is one of the most important celebrations of the Christian faith and other faiths celebrate their own traditions and celebrations during this time too. If you are a Christian, Easter isn't...
The Courage of Finding Your Voice after Trauma
Finding the courage and strength to be heard is a huge step in the journey of healing from trauma As a trauma therapist, I am humbled and privileged to bear witness to my client's stories in...
What an Outer Appearance May Not Show
Books in elementary school… remember, or did your elementary school have a book day? Buying books that would arrive in a big box that the teacher would distribute to the purchasers/students,...
How Does Noticing Shame Make You a Real Adult?
Even Warthogs Feel Shame One of the first things that pops into my head when I hear the word “shame” is Pumbaa from The Lion King lamenting, “Oh the shame! Thought of changin’ my name!” A lot of...
Exploring Anger Within CPTSD
My name is Elizabeth and I am a survivor of trauma and sexual abuse. My younger, most impressionable years were far from anything resembling a childhood, and yet I'm still here to talk about my...
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”.
