Yesterday, I time-traveled. Not in the cool, H.G. Wells, steampunk kind of way, but the CPTSD way. The no warning, no mercy, full-body flashback kind of way. The time machine? A body spray. Specifically, the Old Spice Superman limited edition. Yeah. A superhero-branded deodorant did me in. But this wasn’t about smelling fresh. This was […]
Surviving the Day: Coping with Allergies and CPTSD
Ever have one of those days where nothing’s technically wrong, but everything just feels off? Like, you’re not sure what’s happening, but something’s misaligned, and you can’t quite put your finger on it? Yeah, that’s me today. I’m dealing with this allergy attack that came out of nowhere, like an uninvited guest at a party. […]
Healing Childhood Trauma: Loving the Kid I Was
I was five years old when the abuse happened. That’s a sentence I still have trouble writing, let alone fully grasping, even after all this time. At five, you’re supposed to be discovering the world with wide eyes and open hands, not learning how to protect yourself from the very people meant to keep you […]
Pausing Therapy: Embracing Growth And Trusting Myself
My therapist is retiring, and while I could start the search for someone new, I’ve decided not to, at least, not right now. So, today was my last day in therapy. After sitting with it for a while, I realized I simply don’t have it in me to start over, to retell everything from the […]
Hyper-Empathy: The Unwanted Superpower
Let’s talk about one of the lesser-known side effects of living with CPTSD, hyper-empathy. If you’ve ever walked into a room and instantly felt like you just downloaded everyone’s emotional data through some invisible trauma-powered Bluetooth, congratulations! You might be a hyper-empath. Or a sponge. Same difference. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Wait, so […]
Living with CPTSD: What It’s Really Like
I write a lot about CPTSD, the facts, the symptoms, the definitions, and how it shows up in everyday life. And all of that matters. But lately, I’ve been thinking about how that’s only half of the picture. It’s one thing to explain what CPTSD is, but it’s another thing entirely to talk about what […]