For those of us who’ve been diagnosed with CPTSD, real healing often begins the moment we stop asking, “What’s wrong with me?” And start asking, “What happened to me, and how did I adapt to survive it?” That shift is everything. It changes the whole lens through which we see ourselves. However, knowing the right […]
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PTSD or CPTSD? A Simple Breakdown Without the Psychobabble
So, you’ve been down a WebMD rabbit hole, or your therapist dropped “CPTSD” into a session like it’s a totally normal acronym. And you have somehow found yourself here. Welcome. I write a lot about my own experiences living with CPTSD, and I want you to know you’re not alone, even if it feels that […]
Staying Present When Your Nervous System Shuts Down
Everyone, at some point, has dealt with high-stress conflict situations, and I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of having your nervous system hijack the moment. However, those of us who have CPTSD can experience those kinds of moments more significantly. It can become a challenge when your brain decides it’s […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Impact Of Leaving Survival Mode
For 40 years, I lived in constant survival mode, running on fear, stuck in fight-or-flight, exhausted but pushing forward anyway. I had no idea I was running myself into the ground. I thought I was just doing what I had to do to exist. Then, about a decade ago, I began therapy, and I started […]