If this sounds like you… You live with severe anxiety, severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or another serious mental illness (SMI). You’ve survived extreme—or even repeated—trauma. Your doctors focus on meds for mood, psychosis, or anxiety but rarely ask about your trauma If that’s your reality, this post is for you . The hidden numbers A multi-site study of community mental-health clinics discovered a staggering gap: 42% of people receiving care for SMI also met full criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yet only 2% had PTSD written anywhere in their medical record.¹ When a diagnosis isn’t in the chart, it usually isn’t in the treatment plan. That means the trauma-driven symptoms continue on without intervention. And, yet there are so many effective treatments that can help. Continue reading... 

You’ve been doing the work. You’ve gone to therapy. You’ve read the books. You’ve made real progress. So why are you still getting triggered? It’s disheartening—maybe even disillusioning—to feel like you’ve come so far in your healing journey, only to find yourself dysregulated by something that seems small or out of nowhere. If this sounds familiar, know this: You’re not broken. You’re rewiring. And healing isn’t linear—it’s layered. Why Triggers Still Happen Even after significant healing, your nervous system may still be carrying the impacts of trauma —especially if the trauma was repeated or prolonged. This includes childhood abuse, emotional neglect, or relational trauma that disrupted your sense of safety and belonging. When life is calm, it’s easy to believe you’re “past it.” But a subtle reminder—an expression, tone of voice, a life experience, or external or internal sensation—can throw your body back into a state of defense . That’s because your brain and body learned to s...

  If you've ever felt overwhelmed in relationships—craving connection but pushing people away—you’re not alone. These experiences may not be about who you are, but rather what happened to you. For many living with Complex PTSD (CPTSD) , attachment wounds lie at the heart of the struggle. In this post, we’ll explore how CPTSD and attachment are connected, how early caregiver relationships shape adult attachment styles, and most importantly—how healing is possible. What Is Attachment and Why Does It Matter? Attachment styles are patterns of relating to others, formed during early childhood based on your interactions with caregivers. If those early relationships were safe, responsive, and consistent, you likely developed a secure attachment —the foundation for healthy relationships later in life. But when those relationships were neglectful, abusive, or unpredictable, the result can be long-term emotional dysregulation, fear of connection, and difficulties in trusting others—core fe...

When you're struggling or noticing that past events have resurfaced and are negatively impacting your life, you may find yourself searching for answers. Common questions include: What is trauma? Were my experiences truly traumatic? Am I experiencing symptoms related to childhood abuse? While we can't answer every question here, let's explore 10 critical things you should understand about trauma to guide you toward healing and growth. Continue Reading...  Trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD, Dissociation

  What Can Make Hard Times More Overwhelming? When you're going through something challenging, it's easy to feel consumed by its intensity. When life seems unfair, we tend to notice every additional thing that goes wrong, amplifying the difficulty. Soon, we're not just struggling with our current issue—we're adding every disappointment or discouragement, making our burden heavier than ever. I think of it as the “piling on effect” or “kicking yourself while you’re down.”  Read More...

"We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. We’ve got to go through it." That phrase, from the beloved children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt , holds a deep truth about healing from trauma. Most of us want to move past pain as quickly as possible—to avoid it, numb it, or bury it under our daily responsibilities . But the only way to truly heal is by going through it . In fact, one of the core symptoms of PTSD is avoidance —avoiding reminders, emotions, and even the truth of what happened. But avoidance doesn’t free us from trauma ; it keeps us stuck on the inside . I learned this in the hardest way imaginable—the morning I woke up and found my husband had passed away in his sleep. Continue Reading...