Many trauma therapists do not know how to lead their clients into the basic understanding of who “I” is. “I” is subjective, and it could mean: The part of the person that gets angered easily. The part of the person who often succumbs to fear. The part of the person that feels ashamed at times. [...]
The addiction recovery process is long and difficult and will be full of ups and downs. Sometimes you may feel great and like you’ve really got this, other times, avoiding relapse may feel near impossible. All these feelings are perfectly normal, so please don’t worry if you’re experiencing them. The important thing is to continue [...]
Most trauma victims spend their lives trying to run away from their Parts instead of getting to know them, learn about them, and sympathize with them. But all that running away does is make matters worse, and the individual never gets to experience any true healing. It may feel like the prospect of getting to [...]
Every single person on this planet has a Self, and they also have Parts. The issue with trauma victims is that their Parts have – for lack of a better term – taken them hostage. This is done in self-preservation, but it is not something that cannot be overcome by learning how to listen and [...]
Coping mechanisms are compulsions or habits formed over time which serve to help a person manage particular feelings or situations. While some are perfectly healthy, such as a shy person establishing a set routine before speaking in public to alleviate their nerves, others are dangerous and destructive. Sometimes, coping mechanisms are used to deal with [...]
Humans are remarkable creatures, and we all have basic survival demands that change as we move from infancy into childhood and then into adolescence and finally, into adulthood. When our natural defenses fail us, our brains and bodies are programmed to “play dead.” They may shut down, and when they do, we may go unconscious [...]
Most therapists have been taught that processing trauma is the goal of trauma therapy. That means that they feel the need to access the traumatic memories their clients have with the goal of working through them. But placing too much emphasis on the events that occurred which caused the traumatic memories is not helpful at [...]
In the past, any mention of other “personalities” or Parts immediately led to a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (formerly called multi-personality disorder). But with continued research, it has been found that those Parts or personalities are actually quite vital. They are also present in every single person. Every human being has their own inner [...]
After they survive a traumatic event, many people spend years of their lives struggling because of Parts that are at war within them as a result. They may have: • Parts that are more childlike and afraid. • Parts that are more take-charge and protective. • Parts that are angrier and more combative. But something [...]
Most of us know how difficult it is to resist even the simplest of things. Whether it’s that extra cookie or checking your phone every two minutes, the more we try to stop ourselves from doing something, the more we think about it. Addiction is of course far more serious than eating too many cookies [...]