Category Archives: PTSD
A Lion at My Neck: The Coast Guard’s Sexual Assault Crisis Demands Urgent Reform
When the US Coast Guard towed my disabled sailboat 8 years ago today, I encountered a predator within the ranks. My experience underscores a systemic failure: the military’s persistent inability to address sexualized violence, protect survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable. … Continue reading
Trauma is the Problem. Connection is the Solution.
I have spent the last 6.5 years largely treating Complex PTSD myself due to lack of access to appropriate level care. This includes from a Somatic Experiencing psychologist whose bandwidth turned out to be too narrow for my somatic experience! … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD
Tagged connection, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, PTSD, safety, therapy
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The Shredding of My Safety Nets
Thanks to the effects of compound trauma on the brain, my resources for many things I used to enjoy have been quite limited for years. Most of my resources for social encounters are used for visits with my doctors. There’s … Continue reading
Posted in Mental Health, PTSD
Tagged allostatic load, connection, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, isolation, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma, well-being
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The Yo-Yo Trajectory of Hell: Standard Treatment for PTSD
Standard Treatment Hell For many survivors of trauma, the journey through standard PTSD treatment is an endless cycle of frustration, pain, and betrayal. Despite the widespread acknowledgment of trauma’s role in mental health, conventional treatments often fail to address the … Continue reading
Posted in Mental Health, PTSD, Uncategorized
Tagged American Psychiatric Association, Community, compassion, ComplexPTSD, connection, CPTSD, Empathy, iatrogenic, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, MedicalPTSD, Medicine, Mental Health, MPTSD, psychiatric hospital, psychiatry, Psychology, PTSD, Regulation, standard treatment
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How “Sit With Your Feelings” Can Harm Trauma Survivors
Warning! “Sitting with it” can be harmful for trauma survivors! Their nervous systems may be in a heightened state of dysregulation. Trauma often leads to an overactive stress response, where the body remains in a state of fight, flight, or … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD
Tagged feelings, integration, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, Mental Health, Psychology, recovery
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“The Intersection of Public Safety and Mental Health,” a Public Safety Meeting Presentation
Last night, for the first time in many years, I spoke in public. This was at a local public safety meeting coordinated by my State Representative, Larry Lambert, a fine human being. Also present were representatives of our local first … Continue reading
Posted in Activism, PTSD
Tagged Community, Complex PTSD, CPTSD, Education, Medicine, Mental Health, Mental Hospital, Psychology, PTSD, Public Safety, TraumaAwareness
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America’s standard treatment for childhood trauma: more abuse and neglect
If you had “good enough” parents you were blessed with a fairly regulated nervous system, integrated brain, and secure attachment style. These contribute greatly to a sense of well-being from which health arises and a good life can unfold. If … Continue reading
SGB for PTSD
Between September 2020 and March 2023 I had 12 Stellate Ganglion Blocks (SGBs) as a treatment for my Complex PTSD caused by severe Developmental Trauma. Two SGBs were with Pulsed Radio Frequency Ablation (pRFA). This minimally-invasive and largely safe procedure … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD, Trauma
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Can Trauma Survivors Recover Even Without Access to Professional Help?
According to a 2021 study, “most states have fewer than 40% of the mental health professionals needed” and “more than half (51%) of counties in the United States have no practicing psychiatrists.” Even where mental illness industry practitioners exist, many … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD, Trauma
Tagged Complex PTSD, CPTSD, Medicine, Mental Health, Nervous System, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychology, PTSD, Regulation, Trauma
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