The Survival Instinct of New York In New York, survival isn’t optional; it’s the baseline. If you want something here, you don’t wait politely in line; you slide into the gap before someone else does. (If you’ve ever stood on a subway platform at rush hour, you know: hesitation equals death. Or at least, a […]
Childhood Sexual Abuse CPTSD CPTSD Recovery Emotional Awareness Healing Journey Mental Health Personal Growth Self-Acceptance Therapy & Healing Trauma Recovery
Why CPTSD Makes Failure Feel Safer
Setting Myself Up To Fail When I first started therapy and learned about my CPTSD, I did one thing over and over: I set myself up to fail. My brain was on a mission to prove its own negativity right. Weirdly, failure felt safer; if it was coming anyway, at least I was in control. […]
CPTSD CPTSD Recovery Healing Journey Healing Out Loud Mental Health Personal Growth Therapy & Healing Trauma Trauma Recovery
Healing Hurts Before It Heals
The Truth No One Tells You at the Beginning In my most recent Healing Out Loud episode, I talk about something no one warns you about: healing hurts before it heals. Most people picture recovery as a peaceful climb into some serene place. But the truth? It feels more like tearing up the old floorboards […]
Writing for Myself: Lessons from Year One
Hitting the Wall When I started this website, I was honestly at a point where I’d hit a wall. My personal life was a total shit show, to put it bluntly, and everything inside me was bubbling up with nowhere to go. I’d been journaling, but it was just messy thoughts scattered across a notepad. […]
Raysa on CPTSD Recovery & Healing
Meet Raysa She’s a singer-songwriter, podcaster, writer, and mental health advocate who has turned her survival of narcissistic abuse and life with C-PTSD into art, conversation, and community. As host of the Hello Trauma Brain podcast, Raysa shares her healing journey while creating space for others to feel less alone. With a background in psychology […]
Nendler “Dee” Michel – LCSW & CASAC
Meet Dee Clinic Director – Ellie Mental Health, Manhasset / Great Neck, NY Nendler “Dee” Michel, LCSW, CASAC-Advanced, has spent over 20 years guiding individuals through life’s challenges. Specializing in trauma, mental health, and substance use, Dee is known for his relaxed, conversational style and whole-person approach, helping clients feel seen, heard, and supported every […]