The key to effective trauma therapy is helping clients learn the difference between a trigger and being threatened in the here and now. In order for a trauma victim to be able to process how unsafe they were when the traumatic event occurred, they have to be able to understand that they are safe now. [...]
Healing from trauma the right way requires people to learn how to “see from the Self.” This can take some practice, and it can be very helpful to do some exercises as a way to train yourself. This might not be something that you are able to do right away. But in time, you may [...]
There is no denying the fact that healing from trauma is a process. It can take some time, but there are different steps you can take – even baby steps – that will help move you closer to your goals. In his book, Introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model, Dr. Richard C. Schwartz discusses [...]
Relapse is unfortunately a common part of addiction. Statistics do in fact show that 40-60% of people treated for substance use disorders will relapse at some point. While relapse is generally most likely to occur within the first 90 days of recovery, the risk remains high for the first five years and can even occur [...]
It can be very painful for trauma victims to explore the memories that are related to the traumatic events they lived through. Unfortunately, trauma therapy has largely focused on reviewing these events in the past. But for the most part, the only thing that really ever accomplishes is retraumatizing the person all over again. That [...]
A lot of trauma therapists focus on using talk therapy to help their clients work through the traumatic events they have experienced. But this method has not been shown to be very effective. This is why there has been a shift toward the internal family systems model. Today, we know that focusing on the event [...]
In Canada, approximately six million people (21% of the total population), will experience addiction at some point in their lives. Despite the fact that so many are left devastated by this, it’s still so widely misunderstood, especially when it comes to sex addiction. Urges to engage in behaviors that are difficult or even impossible to [...]
In our last post, we introduced the idea of Self-Leadership and how the 8 Cs play a critical role in getting to that place. We discussed: • Calmness • Clarity • Curiosity • Compassion We would like to continue along that same train of thought and talk about the last 4 Cs, which are just [...]
In past posts, we have talked at great length about the Self and its place in the lives of trauma victims. It can be a hard concept to grasp, but once you understand it, it can change so much about how you see yourself and the world around you. Self-leadership is the goal, and moving [...]
Memories play a big role in a trauma survivor’s life. Without being able to distinguish between the event and the memories of the event, a trauma victim could have devastating consequences from those memories. And these could last for many, many years, even longer than the traumatic experience. What are Trigger Memories? Triggers are stimuli [...]