Trauma patterns are sneaky. They are usually unconscious because they are the messages and behaviors that we’ve learned for years from our families. It’s very common to not even know they’re occurring until it's pointed out to you or until you look back on a situation from afar. Trauma patterns can be described as patterns of thoughts, behaviors, and actions that occur not from free will, but because of the traumas that have occurred in our life. The Centre for YouthAOD describes trauma patterns further: "Trauma-based behavior, in general, serves important adaptive functions. It often makes s ..read more

You may have encountered a similar situation: you visit your childhood home for the holidays and suddenly you feel intense emotions. However, these emotions aren't just brain-based. You may feel tense, anxious, shaky, uncomfortable, and unsafe in your body as well. This is because trauma is not just something that your brain stores, it's something that your body carries too. Our brains are intelligent and the best survival technique we have. It has carried our species throughout many years of evolution. Unfortunately, our brain has yet to develop to understand real danger versus perceived dang ..read more

The Loss of Our Inner Free Spirit Not to get too political, but life in a capitalist society requires us to always be on the go. I'm sure if you really looked at how you spent the 168 hours of the week, most of that time would be allotted to school, work and sleep. There is so much of the in-between, though, that gets lost in the day-to-day. Constant anxiety about what comes next causes us to neglect our free spirit. It's almost primal that humans long to feel the need to connect their inner world with the outer world. When the intention is not placed on finding freedom in the day, it gets los ..read more

What Is Childhood Neglect? Neglect is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. It’s a type of trauma that is hard to spot, so I thoroughly enjoy the relief it gives my clients when they finally realize there is a name to what they’ve been experiencing and feeling. It’s actually the most common form of child mistreatment. Childhood neglect is a type of relational trauma that can be emotional and/or physical in nature. The basic definition of childhood neglect is a caregiver not meeting basic emotional, physical, educational, or medical needs. Some examples of childhood neglect can look like ..read more

What is Attachment? We know that a child’s early life experiences has an impact on our functioning as adults. This includes the way that we were cared for, loved, and seen. Attachment can be defined as the emotional and physical connection that we have with our caregivers. When these connections are ruptured, disorganized, or overly attended to, it can cause lasting effects. When there is a consistent disruption of a stable connection in childhood, this can lead to relational trauma. Relational trauma is a type of trauma unlike the usual traumas we see in the media. As children we do not have ..read more

* I want to start this piece with a disclaimer. I am a white, cis-gendered, straight female therapist and thus, have never experienced racial trauma. Yet, I think speaking about racial trauma is important as this topic is detrimental not only for our BIPOC friends and family, but also as another portion for white people to do the work of learning. I tried my best to pull resources from BIPOC writers only who were able to speak first-hand about racial trauma. I have the privilege to have your attention on this topic and I hope that while I can't speak from experience about racial trauma, I can ..read more

Internal vs. External Self-Worth Not like the Disney movie, but instead, we're looking at inside messages vs. outside messages that may stabilize self-worth. You might be proud of yourself, very much so in fact. You may pat yourself on the back for that new promotion. You may treat yourself to a new coat because you obtained that new degree. You may feel so good because your parents finally said 'I am proud of you.' These are all wonderful things and accomplishments that you should reward yourself though. However, take those away. Take away the material items, the significant other, the approv ..read more

What Is Prolonged Exposure? Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy is another form of psychotherapy that was developed specifically to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, it's one of the most highly regarded evidence-based therapies for PTSD. PE is strongly recommended by the APA and the VA too. The way that PTSD symptoms are typically maintained is by 1. avoiding thoughts, memories, and situations associated with trauma, and 2. problematic beliefs about oneself and the world. Avoidance allows us to maintain beliefs that the world is dangerous, people are bad, and we need to consist ..read more

What Is Intergenerational Trauma? I feel like intergenerational trauma can be described much like genetics. Intergenerational trauma is the patterns, behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs passed down from generation to generation. Much like genetics, these are traits that are predetermined before our birth and something that we are given no choice in inheriting. Think of intergenerational trauma also like culture. It's an element that your family adopted at some point and influences habits down the familial line. For example, say that your grandparents endured: Poverty, war, patriarchy, racism, op ..read more

What Is Dissociation? Dissociation is an experience where a person disconnects from their mind and body. More formally, it’s defined as “a disruption of consciousness, memory, identity, and/or perception of either your environment or yourself.” This could look as simple as a daydream or as serious as amnesia. There is a spectrum of dissociative experiences and their causes are as variable as the symptoms. With PTSD and trauma, dissociation can stem from overwhelming thoughts, memories, or emotions. It’s a way to protect yourself from the pain and hurt of the experience. Dissociation can be ver ..read more