Trauma

Being adopted isn't easy. It can be hard to form a connection with a new family. Even as a child grows up, perhaps they continue feeling out of place and never fully integrated into the household. Eventually, as an adult, they may also find it difficult to cope with significant life transitions—always feeling anxious and sensitive to potential threats. These are all issues that are related to what is called adoption trauma. For children who have grown up in an adopted family, the separation process can have effects that carry on into adulthood. However, it is possible to get help for [...]

    Complex trauma is a condition that develops due to experiencing multiple and repeated traumas when you were young. The effect of this continued exposure to trauma as a child can have significant ramifications- even into adulthood. Being exposed to complex trauma causes changes in brain development. There are learned experiences that influence how you perceive and interact with the world as an adult. Thus, complex trauma often leads to complex PTSD and its far-reaching symptoms. Unlike someone who has experienced a traumatic event in adulthood and developed symptoms of PTSD, complex trauma stemming from childhood has taken years or [...]

There’s that old saying: “Time heals all wounds.” Yet, you know better. In fact, in your case, time only added to the burden you carried from past trauma. That’s because, as with many adults who experienced child abuse or neglect, the complex trauma your ordeal had caused may have happened many years (even decades) ago, but it continued to wreak havoc in your life up into the present. Now, though, you’ve turned the corner. You’ve sought out help and treatment to recover from the trauma of your childhood. And therapy has been a powerful step forward for you. Yet, there is [...]

It’s very hard knowing that your loved one was a victim of child abuse. Adult survivors of child abuse often still carry the burden of neglect and complex trauma that they experienced when young. Obviously, these issues would weigh heavily on anyone. And, of course, you want to give your loved one the support and care they need in this situation. Supporting a loved one as they work to recover from abuse is not just helpful, it’s very important! Consider, then, how you can support your loved one's recovery. Believe Their Story First and foremost, communicate to your loved one that you [...]

Complex Trauma (C-PTSD) can create lasting damage to your emotional and physical well being. Trauma is an event which frightens us so much that we fear death or grave injury.  Traumatic experience overwhelms our capacity to integrate and to cope. When the term complex trauma is used, it usually refers to conditions, or relationships that repeatedly terrify and overwhelm us. Complex Trauma Differs From PTSD CPTSD usually stems from painful, and frightening events that are repeated or prolonged. It's also often relational trauma, and it's this fact which sets it apart from PTSD. Because of this, it often affects people in [...]

You may have heard about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, also known as EMDR. Perhaps you've even thought that it sounds like a really interesting treatment method that seems like it has great potential. However, you may be wondering if it would actually work for you. So, when should you seriously consider EMDR treatment? Obviously, EMDR isn’t a “magic bullet” solution to every therapy problem. But it is very effective at treating certain conditions, especially those related to trauma. That's because it can help with resolving the memories that surround the trauma so that they're no longer so painful. If you are [...]

Understanding Complex PTSD starts with learning about a term that is gaining widespread recognition. Most people have at least heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It affects thousands and can be extremely debilitating. But complex PTSD (C-PTSD) isn’t as widely known yet. That’s why understanding it is incredibly important. The most essential part of understanding complex PTSD is learning how it differs from traditional PTSD. In order to do that, we have to take a closer look at what C-PTSD really is and what signs you should be looking for. Some of the symptoms of C-PTSD are similar to those of traditional [...]

It’s been a long time since the accident. However you are still left with chronic pain in your neck and back. Whenever the pain spikes, it reminds you of that fateful day and how everything changed. Eventually, you had to leave your job because the chronic pain was too great, and now you sit at home by yourself. If you have PTSD and chronic pain, every day can feel like a struggle. EMDR therapy, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, can help with treating both your post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. What Is Chronic Pain? The National Institutes of Health considers [...]

The car accident happened so long ago, but it feels as if it occurred just yesterday. You can still hear the screeching of the tires on the pavement and the crunching of the metal. When you go to a gas station, just the smell of the fuel vapors in the air brings you back to that terrible day. It’s often hard for you to concentrate and focus. You’ve even caught yourself getting angry and snapping back at others. If this sounds familiar, that’s because these are symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And these trauma symptoms can be crippling. However, eye movement desensitization and [...]