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 [...]
It almost seems inevitable that at some point during trauma therapy, people end up experiencing a sense of “stuckness.” The client starts to feel worse instead of feeling better, and the therapist is left with the worry that they did something wrong. It’s hard place to be in for both sides. It is also quite [...]
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 [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen much of the world placed on lockdown. Affecting many aspects of our lives from going to work and socialising to attending events and even being able to pop to the shop, Coronavirus has had a big impact on all of our lives. A big concern for anyone recovering from addiction [...]
As we start to understand and talk about sex addiction more, the topic is slowly becoming less taboo. This means that those who are addicted to sex are increasingly likely to confide in a doctor, counsellor, partner, friends or family. Whether you’ve been in a romantic relationship with someone for a while or it’s a [...]
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 [...]
“…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 [...]
You may find it odd that it’s possible to have a relationship with yourself internally. But the reality is that we all have relationships with our thoughts or emotions. It is completely unavoidable because they’re with us all the time. Whether we like it or not, we have to relate to them in some way. [...]
So many trauma victims feel trapped because of their thoughts. They may suffer from flashbacks or get triggered when certain painful memories arise. In a way, their trauma locks them inside a mental prison that is impossible to escape. Healing from trauma is not quick, and it is a process that takes time. Even so, [...]
A common question clients and their loved ones ask is ‘what causes sex addiction?’ While there’s no one single cause for this, there are a number of contributing factors we see in almost all cases. More often than not, clients will have previously suffered from one or more of the following: Mental illness Other addictions [...]