I write a lot about CPTSD, but it’s usually all about the facts, the symptoms, the definitions, and how it impacts life. And while that’s super important, I realize I need to touch more on what it’s actually like to live with it. The everyday stuff, the moments that most people don’t see. It’s a […]
Living with CPTSD: Rumination and Embracing Growth
I’ve talked before about how rumination shows up, especially when you’re living with CPTSD. Today, I got caught in it, stuck replaying old mistakes, old choices, things I wish more than anything I could take back. For so long, CPTSD has controlled my life. It’s not easy to admit that, in fact, it’s painful to […]
Music as a Lifeline: Finding Safe Spaces in Sound
Living with CPTSD can sometimes feel like trying to navigate through a storm, everything’s spinning, and it’s hard to find any solid ground. Some days, it’s like the weight of everything just hits all at once: the past, the present, the world around me. But through all of that, one thing has always been there […]
Direct Communication Is A Lifeline for Trauma Survivors
If you’ve ever told me something like, ‘We need to talk later,’ and then walked away, I can almost guarantee you’ve just activated my fight-or-flight system like it’s Black Friday at Best Buy. It’s not that I’m overreacting (though, okay, maybe a little); it’s just that, when you live with CPTSD, vague communication doesn’t merely […]
Parenting with CPTSD: Send Snacks and Backup
Being a dad with CPTSD feels like starring in your own personal three-ring circus, except, of course, it’s not just a circus. It’s a high-stakes act with no safety net, and the crowd is loud and relentless. And when your daughter is soon to be 16? Well, now the lion’s escaped, chasing the lioness, while […]
Loving in Silence: The Quiet Storm of CPTSD
Living with CPTSD means emotions don’t always look the way people expect them to. On the surface, I might come off as calm, maybe a little distant. Like, I’m trying to remember if I left the stove on. But inside? It’s a full-blown Greek tragedy. The chorus is wailing, the lead actor is mid-monologue, someone […]