The holiday season is upon us again, and for many people, it is filled with dread and can be incredibly challenging. Societal and familial expectations can and do clash often with personal emotions and boundaries, making an already difficult time more difficult, especially when going no-contact with family and friends. That’s ok. Give yourself permission… continue reading.
Stephanie was the kind of person who always had a smile on her face, no matter the situation, and was known as the “positive one” in her group. But when her best friend, Cleo, went through a painful breakup, Stephanie’s relentless positivity began to feel like a burden. Every time Cleo tried to open up… continue reading.
Coping through Avoidance
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Sophia always loved to paint, and had a small art studio filled with canvases, paints and paintbrushes. There was one unfinished painting that reminded her of her mother who passed away suddenly that Sophia could not bring herself to finish. She told herself she was too busy to paint, and she filled her days doing… continue reading.
Resentment
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Resentment is a heavy emotion that creeps in slowly, often stemming from feeling that you have been wronged or treated unfairly. Almost unnoticed, resentment sits quietly in the background, growing over time, A companion between disgust and anger, you feel frustrated, bitter, and hurt, and those feelings sometimes linger for years. What is resentment? When… continue reading.
Spiritual Bypassing
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Spiritual bypassing is a way of using spiritual beliefs or practices to avoid dealing with difficult emotions, unresolved pain, or the challenges life presents. While spirituality can be a powerful tool for healing, growth, and connection, it can also unintentionally become a way to bypass or “skip over” the deeper emotional work that’s needed for… continue reading.
Disassociation
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Disassociation is a deeply personal and often misunderstood coping mechanism in response to trauma, stress, or overwhelming emotions by detaching yourself from your current experience or reality so as to not overwhelm your nervous system and body even more. It is your body and mind’s way of protecting you from any further overwhelm when reality… continue reading.
Introduction to cPTSD
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cPTSD (also c-PTSD, CPTSD, and C-PTSD) is complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Much like its’ counterpart, PTSD, cPTSD is also a mental health condition that can develop after a traumatic experience, and can be experienced directly within the traumatic event, witness a person experience a trauma, or learning that the traumatic event occurred to a close… continue reading.