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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EMDR Therapy: Re-Parenting My Inner Child
In August 2021 I began EMDR therapy for Complex PTSD. It became quickly apparent that my body had set up so many protections that it would need to be prepped before the therapy could deal with...
Compassion Fatigue and Self Care for Practitioners
Compassion fatigue is characterised by physical and emotional exhaustion and a decrease in the ability to empathise. It is a form of secondary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with the stress occurring as a result of helping, or wanting to help, those who are in need. It is often referred to as ‘the cost of caring’ for others who are in physical or emotional pain.
Feeling the Anger, You Were Denied in Childhood
Anger is a healthy emotion that all humans experience. Anger is a way for us to tell if we are in danger and allows us to respond quickly. Much has been written about anger and how it is...
LGBTQ+ Victims & Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Trigger Warning: This blog deals with childhood sexual abuse. Some of us, within the LGBTQA+ community, face additional barriers when disclosing our stories of child sexual abuse. The myths and...
Triggers Activate Neuropathways in the Brain
So, yes, they are all in my head, because that is where my brain is. Triggers Are Real Triggers are serious and should not be laughed at or minimized. Some minor word or minor action versus my...
You Don’t Actually Owe Medical Staff Your Trauma Experience
This article was originally published on The Mighty in April 2021. A few years ago, I admitted myself to get some inpatient support for my mental health. If you aren’t aware, part of that process...
Courage, Self-Love and Complex Trauma (CPTSD)
Living with complex PTSD can happen, and can become a healing of contrast and magnificence that has no equal, and can show you what a precious life this is, and how complete you make this world by simply breathing and being a part of it.
I Remember, I Remember When I Lost My Mind
Going home was all a blur. I came home way too early. My wife was there and thought I had taken the rest of the day off. Not knowing she would be seeing a lot more of me from then on... First of...
Boundaries and Anger
Anger is a natural consequence of living through childhood trauma, the leading cause of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. As children, many survivors were hurt by people who needed to care...
Peeling Back the Layers
The word ‘Trauma’ was an alien concept to me until 3 years back. I definitely had this word in my vocabulary since I am a voracious reader, but I associated this with accident victims like my...
Grieving a Narcissist Parent: “I Was Dying and You Were Getting a Massage”
This article was previously posted on Medium.com 9/6/2021* Sunday, August 15th 2021. It has been two days since my first EMDR session. Two days since the flashback that caused immediate fear...
The Importance of Anger and Rage
Everyone gets angry. Anger is a natural emotion that humanity has plenty of experience with it. When expressed in healthy ways, anger is adaptive and necessary to help us understand, set, and...
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”.
