Building mental wellness on a foundation of strength
I saw the topic of trigger warnings circulating in the blogosphere recently, and I though I'd chime in with my own thoughts. In a very general sense, a trigger is one thing causing another to occur. What's particular to people with a trauma history is that what's being triggered is re-experiencing, such as having a… Continue reading Are Trigger Warnings Useful?
This is an updated version of a post on the fight/flight/freeze response from a couple of years ago. A few years ago I was thinking about applying for a nursing job with a sexual assault support team, so I decided to learn more about the body's biological fight/flight/freeze response to trauma. What I found out… Continue reading The Neurobiology of Traumatic Fight/Flight/Freeze
https://youtu.be/foeMt0Oeoi4 I recently heard about the documentary SKIDS from Hanna of The Bullsh*t Positivity Project. It focuses on kids attending Vanguard Secondary in Langley, B.C., Canada, which is not far from where I live. Vanguard Secondary is an alternative school that takes a trauma-informed approach, recognizing that trauma is at the root of the significant… Continue reading SKIDS: Traumatized Kids and the School System
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is perhaps one of the best-known books about trauma, and in particular early life trauma. It's been on my to-be-read list for quite a while, and I've finally managed to get around to it. This is a hefty book. The digital version that I was… Continue reading Book Review: The Body Keeps the Score
This post is by Shanon of Surviving Childhood Trauma. A Childhood of Abuse, an Adulthood of PTSD I always struggle with how to begin my story, what parts to share and how exactly to word it. My abuses were so severe, my trauma so impactful that my memories are broken and there is no sense… Continue reading Emerging Blogger: Shanon (Surviving Childhood Trauma)
This post is by JH of Writing Through PTSD. Wikimedia Commons How Trauma-Focused CBT is Helping Me I completed 12 weeks of group trauma-focused CBT a few months ago, and have been practicing the skills that I learned. I wanted to write this to keep track of my recovery, and to help others who might… Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: JH (Writing Through PTSD)
This post is by Caitlin of My Lust for Life. The most traumatised patient I would like to start this off with a disclaimer that I'm not trying to buy into the warped competitiveness that sometimes arises when people talk about their trauma. I'm not trying to 'outdo' anyone. Quite the opposite, in fact. I… Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: Caitlin (My Lust for Life)
I have a guest blog for you today, from Johnzelle of Panoramic Counseling on the topic of EMDR. Derick Santos from Pexels EMDR Therapy Francine Shapiro is a legend in the mental health community. She made the groundbreaking discovery that launched the EMDR therapy movement in 1987. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. Shapiro… Continue reading Guest Post (Johnzelle Anderson) – EMDR Therapy
This post is by Sharleen from Tea At Mine. Walking on a spring evening in Golden Acre Park – Leeds Overcoming PTSD I have to do this. Releasing my thoughts onto the world like an eagle spreading its wings above a small stone, but at this moment in time my story has a beginning and… Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: Sharleen (Tea at Mine)
Shattered by the Darkness by Gregory Williams is a heart-wrenching account of childhood sexual abuse perpetrated by the author's father over many years. The book contains detailed descriptions of sexual abuse, sometimes with multiple abusers. There's nothing gratuitously graphic in the descriptions; still, readers who've had similar abuse experiences should carefully consider whether they're at… Continue reading Book Review: Shattered by the Darkness
