Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, cognitively and emotionally disruptive thoughts. These thoughts are characteristic of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive class disorders. They are also found in mood, eating, trauma & addiction disorders. Intrusive thoughts are usually thoughts about actions, scenarios or fears the person finds upsetting and often taboo in their culture. Common topics include inappropriate … Continue reading Symptom Explainer: Intrusive Thoughts
Table of Contents What Are Obsessive ThoughtsSkills in The MomentBreak The SpiralTrauma SkillsKatniss SkillAffirmationsSomatic Skills2 to 1 BreathingSensory Integration ToolsProgressive Muscle Relaxation Radical Acceptance Long Term Skills What are obsessive thoughts? Obsessive thinking is an inability to control and cope with recurring, distressing thoughts, and images. The process may be mildly distracting or absorbing. Obsessive … Continue reading Coping Skills: Obsessive Thoughts
Hyper and hypoarousal are the two dysregulated states of the autonomic nervous system. These states are connected to the Fight-Flight-Freeze-Fawn/Fold response. "Fight & Flight" are states of hyperarousal, "Freeze" is a split response and "Fawn/Fold" is a state of hypoarousal. Arousal refers to the level of stress and type of activity our central nervous system … Continue reading Informational Article: Hyperarousal & Hypoarousal
Defining Dissociation General Dissociation: Dissociation refers to the natural mechanism our brain has to disconnect us from our surroundings and ourselves. This is sometimes as a benign reaction but severe dissociation is associated with trauma and other mental illnesses. Every Person has the capacity for dissociation and many experiences some degree of the skill like … Continue reading Symptom Explainer: Dissociation
Survivors of abuse and IPV may miss it after it ends or crave acts of sexual violence. Those of us who may miss aspects of our abuse often feel like we wanted the abuse, deserved it or will only ever be abused. But we never deserved to be abused, we never wanted it, there are … Continue reading Informational Article: Why Survivors Miss Abuse
Let's look at what each of these experiences is and where they come from. Then we will compare & contrast them. Flashbacks: A flashback is an experience where you relive events of trauma. Flashbacks are only found in those with PTSD & C-PTSD. It includes feeling sensations that were experienced during the traumatic event. These … Continue reading Symptom Explainer: Flashbacks VS Intrusive Thoughts
PTSD linked psychosis is not super common but is not exceedingly rare or fake. If you think you're struggling with this reaching out for help can be amazingly helpful.
It’s because it’s traumatic that memories can be repressed, not in spite of. It’s not the same as saying you forget what you had for breakfast three days ago where your mind just never puts it in long term memory. Memories of trauma don’t go through the normal process of how the brain handles everyday things … Continue reading Question: How is it possible that the brain forgets abuse if its such a traumatizing event?
Trauma itself did affect you at the time of abuse, on a neurological level. Trauma, especially childhood trauma, reworks brain development. Trauma changes the size and development of sections our brains. Knocks our neurotransmitters, endocrine systems and the sympathetic nervous system out of whack (other changes as well). Symptomatology can vary between people and throughout … Continue reading Symptom Explainer: Why Symptoms sometimes worsen overtime
Feeling like what happened to you isn’t real is a very common phenomenon with survivors of child sexual abuse. Here we will look at what fuels this sensation. Some of the main factors include poor memory, denial of trauma, personal downplaying of trauma, societal pressure, and emotional/psychological abuse. Poor memory of childhood trauma is often … Continue reading Symptom Explainer: Why Abuse May Feel Unreal
Survivors Healing Survivors 