Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Alcohol Abuse

The last couple of months have been difficult for everyone. The outbreak and spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has seen many countries around the world placed on lockdown. This has meant businesses have had to close, people have lost their jobs and at a time when we need more support than ever before, we’re not even [...]

By |2020-05-10T19:11:35-04:00May 7th, 2020|Addiction|

Becoming More Aware of Inner Family Relationships in Trauma Victims

We’ve been discussing the internal family systems model of treating trauma. We’ve discussed the “self” and the various internal parts of ourselves and how they relate to each other. There is a fragmentation that occurs within trauma victims, and that fragmentation drives the way they relate to other people, the world and themselves. Therapy involves [...]

By |2021-12-15T03:32:55-05:00May 6th, 2020|Uncategorized|

Understanding Multiplicity in Trauma Victims

At first glance, the Internal Family Systems model can come as quite a shock. We’ve talked about the Self and how various parts exist within the Self. We’ve discussed how those different parts seek to be understood and known, and how they can change the course of our lives. But not every trauma victim gets [...]

By |2021-12-15T03:32:55-05:00May 6th, 2020|Uncategorized|

Understanding the Fragmented Self in Trauma Victims

Everyone responds differently to trauma, and in the same way, it makes sense to expect that the resulting fragmented self would be unique. People who have histories of chronic trauma, or who have gone through multiple types of abuse or neglect often appear normal. But what has really happened is that they have formulated a [...]

By |2021-12-15T03:32:55-05:00April 20th, 2020|Trauma|

What is Trauma? Understanding it and Facing it

When we think about trauma victims, we often envision images of wounded soldiers or veterans. But trauma is so much more, and it should never be segregated to just one or two groups of people. It happens to just about everyone in one form or another. You may have a friend or relative who struggles [...]

By |2021-12-15T03:32:55-05:00March 9th, 2020|Trauma|

What Have We Discovered Through Scientific Research on Trauma?

“…during every stage of my medical training, whether I was studying surgery, cardiology, or pediatrics, it was obvious to me that the key to healing was understanding how the human organism works.” ~ Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk began studying post-traumatic stress and trauma in the 1970s. It was an [...]

By |2021-12-15T03:32:55-05:00March 9th, 2020|Trauma|