From pop culture to social media and beyond, conversations about trauma are happening more than ever before. One aspect, however, needs more attention. You see, traumatic events can cause a survivor to cultivate coping mechanisms that end up being counterproductive. A particularly insidious example of this is trauma bonding.  All of us inherently want to feel safe with others. A trauma survivor may have to seek such security in unusual ways. As a result, they try to make sense of the suffering by re-imagining what has happened or is still happening. This can make them feel attached to the ..read more

There is no time of day that grief doesn’t hurt. It’s a tricky ride and an unpredictable process that uniquely impacts each person. That said, there are some universal trends. For example, grief often feels worse at night. This can be the case because, generally speaking, things tend to slow down in the evening. People are typically less busy, and their environment is quieter. In this setting, there is nothing to distract you from contemplating the loss and pain you feel. Of course, it’s important that you feel what you need to feel. But when the emotions are primary, it can be a lot to handle ..read more

Medical trauma takes many forms. For example, the basic reality of suffering a serious injury or illness is potentially traumatic. The treatments and procedures are intense. On top of that, there are logistics involved in hospital stays and interventions. Healthcare workers are often stretched to their limits and, thus, subject to medical trauma. Then there’s the frightening fact that one of the primary causes of death in the U.S. is medical error. For women, such scenarios can be particularly stressful. Women are more likely to have their health claims ignored or downplayed. Plus, with them ..read more

Everyone has had some negative experiences in the past. As a result, those painful memories can sometimes be triggered and cause fresh discomfort. For someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, such triggers can induce frighteningly extreme reactions. Put simply, they’ve endured a traumatic event and the trigger makes their brain react as if it is happening again.  PTSD triggers feel like sneak attacks but due to the long-term impact of the disorder, they are there all the time. Fortunately, effective treatments for PTSD exist. In the meantime, there are useful steps you ..read more

For most people, conversations about inherited characteristics involve things like eye color or height. But there’s a deeper and darker discussion to be had on this topic. Generational trauma is a term used to describe how psychological and emotional tendencies can also be passed down in families. Trauma that occurred very long ago can create circumstances that end up impacting family members several generations later. In other words, if your great-grandparents experienced traumatic events, they could’ve shaped how vulnerable you are to mental health problems today. Fortunately, this cycle ca ..read more

Author Joan Didion once remarked that “virtually everyone who has ever experienced grief mentions this phenomenon of waves.” Everyone must, of course, experience and process grief in their own way. There is no one “right” way. But no one fully avoids the sensation of waves. Sure, there are stages of grief but they are not linear.  Emotions, in the best of times, can get very messy. Grief is far from the best of times. Therefore, the unpredictability is in hyper-drive. Feelings come and go. They rise and fall. Just when you feel settled, an unexpected wave arrives and you won’t know what ..read more

Trauma is a result. When someone endures or witnesses a horrific event, there is the potential for them to experience trauma. Such events may include neglect, abuse, assault, loss, violence, illness, and so much more. Whether or not we are traumatized depends on several specific factors. What matters most is how we experience the events and what impact it has on us (and our life).  An emotional trauma survivor can feel that impact intensely and for a long time. It can negatively affect both your mental and physical health. But you absolutely can heal and recover. You will need to connect ..read more

Everyone goes through grief. It’s a painful yet inevitable part of life. Despite this universality, very few of us are prepared. Our culture doesn’t talk much about grief and we live our lives vulnerable to how much it can change us (see next section). But there’s good news. It’s never too late to put in the work to understand and address your grief. Through self-education, self-exploration, and regular therapy sessions, you can develop ways to process grief without becoming consumed by it. To get started, each of us is required to accept grief as normal and learn more about it. Grief Changes ..read more

You have almost certainly heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Thanks to Hollywood and news headlines, we usually associate PTSD with war zones and natural disasters. However, different forms of PTSD exist and they can be caused by a very wide range of events. Take, for example, Post-Traumatic Relationship Syndrome (PTRS). Abusive relationships can produce a long-lasting traumatic impact. These effects might be caused by physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Gaslighting and manipulation also often result in a person being stuck in a cycle of flashbacks, shame, and confusion. Fortuna ..read more

Trauma experienced as a child does not directly cause chronic pain in adulthood. However, a wide cross-section of studies has identified the connection between the two. The more a child endures adverse events, the more they struggle with physiological problems as an adult. Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) come in many forms. A few examples would include neglect, abuse, and domestic violence. These traumatic events can be a one-time thing or they might be ongoing and chronic. Either way, they alter how our bodies deal with stress and thus increase the likelihood of physical issues later in life ..read more