Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And Brain Function
Suffice it to say that when one experiences trauma or multiple traumas, the brain is impacted.
I can attest to this personally. During the over twenty-year period which I refer to in my book, “When Birds Sing – My Journey from Trauma to Triumph” as a downward spiral into darkness, despair and the abyss, my ability to function in society diminished considerably.
Battered Woman’s Syndrome (BWS)
Just three weeks into my brand-new amazing relationship with this gorgeous, all- American guy, he punched me in the face, threw me to the ground and began to strangle me.
WHO AM I WITHOUT MY TRAUMA?
In my over two decades spiral into darkness and despair, I did not give much thought to who I was, but just thought that I had ‘bad luck’. As the traumas piled on top of one another, I was unaware of how important ‘getting help’ was and how the trauma would ‘change me’.
Steps to Breaking Ties To PTSD and C-PTSD
OVERVIEW
While it is true that there is no cure for completely stopping post-traumatic stress disorder or complex post-traumatic stress disorder, I have found through my healing journey from C-PTSD, which I deal with as a result of spiraling downward for over two decades, that it can be managed and greatly lessened through the below process.
Are you in Domestic Violence? Read This!
I was unaware that I was suffering from Complex PTSD from two incidents of horrific sexual assault as a young teen. I launched myself into life and landed a fantastic job, but the symptoms I was suffering from caused me to sabotage my success. The night I met…
You Are Alive for a Reason - Don’t Give Up
When I was 23-24 years old, I began cutting myself. I now know that this act was a cry for help from my 16 years old Arielle who had gone through two back-to-back terrible sexual assaults. She worked really hard to carry on with her life – landed an amazing job with…
Navigating Emotions vs. Feelings vs. Moods
For an exceedingly long time, my life revolved around my emotions, feelings and moods. I made most of my decisions from emotions and since I was suffering from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). Those decisions were often detrimental to my growth and…
Knowing your True Self/Developing Awareness With C-PTSD
If you would have told me that I had a “true self” when I was in the throes of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), I would have told you it was not possible – that you were lying and crazy! Today, I am constantly learning…
From Stuck to Thriving with PTSD and C-PTSD
For over two decades, I suffered from the debilitating effects of PTSD and, as the trauma multiplied, C-PTSD. It (the C-PTSD) told me that I was fine and…
Treating C-PTSD with Nutrition
Having spent over two decades going from one trauma to another to another to another, I ended up with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). During this time, I often did not have much money to buy food, so my basic nutritional needs were not met. Which also meant that my nutritional needs in relationship to C-PTSD were also not met. I did not even know that I had…
Mending a Broken Heart With PTSD and C-PTSD
As I drove over the bridges this morning, I saw myself (Light Dances on Water – a name given to me at Invite Change), twinkling ever so delicately and glistening intensely. The lightness of the twinkling and the glistening light on the water describes how my heart feels…
From the Wilderness of Denial to the Heights of Triumph
I was wandering in the wilderness (of denial), so to speak, but when I looked in the mirror one day and decided to commit to myself a life worth living, I committed to that with…
It Must be ME
I was very moved after reading Anna Kendrick’s interview on Armchair Expert Podcast by Dax Sheppard.
Many of us who are not celebrity actors think that we shame and blame ourselves for the abuse we endured because “we just do not have enough confidence” in ourselves. Or, if…
Surviving Loneliness and Isolation
The loneliness and isolation I felt during my four-year abusive marriage was very intense. With each day I stayed in the abuse, I felt less and less like interacting with family members. I especially felt like isolating at holiday time because one is expected to feel cheery, reverent, and giving. I felt none of that…
Gratitude - How I use gratitude to catapult me to new heights of being
When my life was hurtling down the train tracks for over two decades, I spent little time focusing on gratitude. It was not because I would not, it was because I could not. I had no idea…
Untreated PTSD Impacts on Female Health Care
When my life was in a downward spiral from untreated PTSD due to sexual assaults in my teens, I went without insurance coverage for years and years. This meant that I did not get routine mammograms to see if I had breast cancer. I also did not see an internist, dentist, or…
Primary Nutrition For Thriving after Trauma
During my over two-decade long spiral downward, which included homelessness, I practiced some things from the definition below of ‘primary foods’ and ’12 steps to better health’ that could very well have saved me from…
My Grounding, Centering and Connecting to the Light Meditation
I spent many years looking to others for my center – my identity – hoping that somehow, they would ground me and make me whole. As the years went by and my life continued to spiral out of control, I had no idea how…
Am I Being Controlled?
From a young age, I had been a person whose heart went out for the ‘underdog’. I was kind and caring to classmates and animals. I enjoyed playing for hours…
Self Love/Self Care - The PTSD Antidote
The reason people who have experienced trauma do self care is because it actually counteracts or cancels the debilitating effects of…
