There’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot: hurt people hurt people. Sometimes it’s said with compassion, sometimes as a defense, and sometimes as a throwaway line. But for me, it’s a truth I’ve had to look directly in the eye. Because I was hurting. And I hurt people. I was one of them. […]
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 […]
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 […]
How I Manage Life with CPTSD (And a Lot of Sarcasm)
Living with CPTSD is the gift that keeps on giving. And by “gift,” I mean that weird mystery box you didn’t order; it showed up uninvited, and now you’re legally required to carry it with you everywhere you go. It’s like an invisible backpack filled with random triggers, unexpected flashbacks, and moments where you’re just […]
Finding Calm in the Chaos: My Journey with CPTSD
Somewhere along the way in my healing journey, I’ve stopped seeing myself as CPTSD personified. I don’t know the exact moment it happened; there wasn’t some grand epiphany or movie-montage-style healing moment. But slowly, quietly, I started seeing myself as… just me. As Jack. A messy, kind, resilient, funny, often-exhausted guy who happens to have […]