Tag Archives: PTSD
What is Secondary Traumatic Stress?
Secondary traumatic stress is emotional and physiological distress that develops from indirect exposure to another person’s traumatic experiences. Causes Indirect exposure: Hearing graphic details, re-experiencing narratives, or viewing disturbing images of another person’s trauma. Caring roles: Supporting or treating trauma … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD
Tagged disaster recovery, PTSD, secondary trauma, secondary traumatic stress
Leave a comment
Self-Harm: A Survival Adaptation, Not a Character Flaw
A few years ago, when I was struggling the hardest, I occasionally engaged in self-harm. My body knew the practice offered relief, but I still felt some shame, because I’d been indoctrinated to believe self-harm is a kind of pathological … Continue reading
The Falsehood of “Post-Traumatic Growth”
People sometimes tell me I am experiencing “post-traumatic growth.” They say it like it’s a compliment, and I should feel encouraged. As if this is the gold at the end of years of fighting for my life. That’s a falsehood. … Continue reading
The Doctors in My Recovery Plan
Many people have trouble believing that caring doctors became an essential part of my Interpersonal Neurobiology-based trauma recovery plan. Some dismiss it entirely because they assume healing relationships have to happen with family, friends, a romantic partner, or a therapist. … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare
Tagged Complex PTSD, connection, doctors, healthcare, Medical PTSD, MPTSD, PTSD, recovery, safety
Leave a comment
Systemic Blindness: The Ignored Story in My Health Chart
My weight data from the past few years is one of the most important indicators of my overall health. When I am in environments that support me, my weight moves toward a healthy range. When my environment is unsafe or … Continue reading
Posted in Well-being
Tagged body mass, data, healthcare, medical, obesity, PTSD, weight
Leave a comment
Beyond the Mental Illness Industry: Healing Trauma with NARM and Interpersonal Neurobiology
After the psychiatric abuse of a “standard treatment” nearly killed me 8 years ago, I found the tools that made survival possible. This was at the intersection of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) and Interpersonal Neurobiology. Unlike the mental illness … Continue reading
Can Trauma Survivors Recover 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
Leave a comment
Cues of Safety: Why Connection is Non-Negotiable in Healthcare
Cues of safety are signals we give each other that tell our nervous systems we are safe with one another. When we feel pro-social and safe enough to be authentic and truly connect, we naturally give off these cues, which … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged chronic disease, chronic illness, connection, Doctor, Empathy, healthcare, Medicine, practitioner, PTSD, safety
Leave a comment
Creating Safety in a Culture That Profits from Harm
For the eight years since my connections were severed by psychiatric and medical abuse, I have been building conditions that allow my nervous system to recover. What it has needed is attunement, compassionate witnessing, empathy, validation of my lived experience, … Continue reading
Trust as Medicine: A Six-Year Journey in Craniosacral Therapy
After six years of working together, my craniosacral practitioner finally felt my cranial rhythmic impulse. That moment is huge. It’s not just a technical milestone, but proof of how much my nervous system has had to work to regulate, reorganize, … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare
Tagged care, chronic pain, craniosacral, craniosacral practitioner, pain, PTSD, reliability, trauma recovery, trust
Leave a comment