Trauma

How can you understand the effects of childhood neglect and abuse? Most people have heard of the saying “time heals all wounds.” It's meant to imply that healing from trauma is possible with space and distance from those events. This might actually be true in some circumstances. A little time might be all that you need to recover from a painful life setback such as an ugly breakup or an accident. However, the ramifications of childhood neglect and abuse go much deeper. In fact, if left unaddressed, the effects of childhood abuse do not get better with time at all. Rather, [...]

EMDR stands for "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing". Therapists have been using EMDR to treat trauma since the late 1980's.  It is offered to patients in private practice and in institutional settings like clinics, residential treatment programs and hospitals. It's a evidence based form of trauma therapy that is that is widely known. In fact, thousands of research studies support it's clinical efficacy. But what about other symptoms? Can EMDR be used for other issues besides trauma? The short answer is yes. And here is a bit of an explanation. EMDR therapy tends to help you in 2 ways.  First, it [...]

The Narcissistic Abuse Cycle can be fertile ground for the development of trauma symptoms. But the dynamics of a relationship with a narcissist can confuse you. Wrapping your head around the thinking style of a narcissist can be quite hard. After all, the term itself brings up an image of someone whose life is centered solely on themselves. However, things are not as obvious as they may appear to be. This is especially true regarding how narcissists approach relationships, in particular, romantic relationships. It’s a phenomenon called the narcissistic abuse cycle. This cycle is broken down into three important phases: idealization, devaluation, [...]

There is no question that experiencing trauma has an impact on a person's life. It could be a stand-alone single incident, such as an accident or loss. Or it may be due to experiencing years of abuse. But either way, there are some types of dissociative disorders you should know about. Understandably, that issues such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are common problems for those who have lived through trauma. But there are other consequences that are generally less known. These include dissociative disorders. Dissociate disorders involve a disconnection between a person's memories, actions, thoughts, and identity. The disconnect provides [...]

It can be hard to understand why anyone would want to injure themselves. It's upsetting to think about self harm such as by hitting or purposely cutting themselves. The idea sounds counter-intuitive. After all, don’t people want to protect themselves from harm, rather than cause it intentionally? Let's talk about treating self-harm. Yes, most of us want to feel good and protect ourselves from pain. But the truth is more complicated than that. It requires looking past the self-harm and into deeper issues. These include seeking control, experiencing emotional numbness, severe anxiety, or even dealing with depression. By taking a closer [...]

Sexual assault, whether it was one instance or you've endured years of abuse, affects you at the very core of your being. That's where sexual abuse therapy can be so valuable. The experience shapes your perspectives, can lead to trauma symptoms, and affects how you interact with the world.  An abuse history makes it hard to form relationships with other people. You develop trust issues.  And , the guilt and shame associated with sexual abuse can plague you. Without addressing them at the core, all these issues can cause enormous struggles in life. Please, be assured that healing the trauma of [...]

Are you feeling emotionally numb and detached from both yourself and others? Perhaps you’ve not felt yourself for a while now, and you’re not sure why. And there are times when you just don’t feel connected at all with what’s going on around you. Or, you've been in therapy for years, but don't seem to ever get great traction. You still struggle with symptoms. What about your memory? You’ve been told that you lived through that hurricane last year, but you can’t remember anything about it. Plus, you struggle with stress every day, and that has taken a toll on your focus and [...]

For the longest time that you can remember, you’ve always felt on edge. You keep up your guard, no matter the situation. Whether you are at the grocery store shopping or even at home watching TV, your defenses are always on. Loud noises startle you easily, and you have a tendency to get defensive quickly when talking to other people. Why is this happening? You are experiencing hypervigilance, which is likely a result of having endured some form of trauma and dealing with (complex) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD/C-PTSD). Dealing with hypervigilance due to trauma can be frustrating, but it is treatable. [...]

When you have an emotional flashback, it can often be sudden, overwhelming, and distressing. It's like they seem to just come out of nowhere. The slightest thing could be a trigger. Flashbacks connected to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can, in an instant, mentally transport you back to the trauma that has shaped part of your life ever since. And, of course, these traumatic flashbacks are upsetting because they bring up so many painful emotions, especially fear. It's no exaggeration that emotional flashbacks due to trauma can wreck your life. However, they don’t have to impact your life forever. There is a [...]

When we think of post-traumatic stress disorder, relationships may be the last thing we'd considered as a source of trauma. After all, aren’t relationships supposed to be loving, affirming, and kind? If so, how can someone suffer with PTSD from a relationship? Sadly, not always. In fact, many people find themselves in toxic relationships. These are situations that are the exact opposite of what a relationship should be. They are filled with bitterness, resentment, and anger. The long-term result of this type of relationship is that people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A Constant Toxicity One way that trauma can enter into a [...]