Can People Really Change? I received an email from a reader recently asking if people can change. At first I was going to reply with a simple yes, of course people can change. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s not that simple. Change isn’t something you say, it’s something […]
Why CPTSD Makes Trusting Others Tough
Trust issues and CPTSD go together like peas and carrots. And it’s not because we’re naturally suspicious people; it’s because life taught us that trusting people is risky business. When you’ve been betrayed, neglected, or manipulated over and over, your brain learns that trust equals danger. When Your Body Doesn’t Get the Memo The problem […]
Loving Someone with CPTSD: A Survival Guide
Loving someone with CPTSD means, first and foremost, loving someone with a complicated past. We might not always say it, but we crave connection, deeply. Sometimes more than we know what to do with. And yet, every so often, we flinch. We pull back. We get quiet when things get too close. It’s not because […]
Attachment, Detachment, and the In Between
Living with CPTSD means relationships, whether romantic or platonic, can be both incredibly comforting and completely overwhelming. On one hand, I have always craved closeness, connection, the sense of warmth and safety. But on the other, the idea of losing that felt like the worst thing ever. Detachment, to me, has never been as simple […]
CPTSD Dating & Relationships Healing Journey Mental Health Personal Growth Relationships Self-Acceptance Trauma Recovery
How One Person Helped Me Heal My CPTSD
It’s not often in life that you come across someone who truly sees the best in you. And I don’t mean the kind of person who only shows up for the highlight reel, the celebrations, the victories, the polished, postable moments. Rather, I mean someone who sits beside you in the unraveling. In the silence. […]
Healing Journey Hypervigilance Inner Critic Mental Health Relationships Self-Awareness Trauma Recovery
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 […]