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 [...]

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, [...]

For many victims of trauma, the experiences that traumatized them happened when they were children. The brain resorts to disassociation as a way to protect itself from getting hurt again, and it is very common for people to carry that into adulthood. While disassociation does work as a survival strategy for a period of time, [...]

Many people experience trauma when they’re children, and the effects of that trauma are often carried with them into adulthood. When children are abused or neglected by people who are supposed to love them, they have to distance themselves from it emotionally. This fragmentation is a survival mechanism. It helps them to preserve their self-esteem, [...]

No matter how we try to avoid it, we must have some type of relationship with our thoughts and emotions. They are a part of who we are, and they are always with us, day in and day out. We have no choice but to relate to them in one way or another. Sometimes that [...]

Trauma can be debilitating, and for so many people who suffer from it, it is the reason they struggle to love themselves. Traumatized individuals often have terrible self-esteem. They may take certain actions or behave in numerous ways that go against everything they want to do or be. But the question is, why do they [...]

Integrating traumatic memories is a challenge that every traumatized person faces. It’s not possible to put these memories behind them until they can acknowledge what has happened. They also need to learn how to recognize the invisible issues they’re battling on a day-to-day basis. Traditional therapy methods focus on helping people learn why they feel [...]