Table of Contents The BasicsBreathing SkillsCalm Breathing2-to-1 BreathingGrounding SkillsStatements of PresenceBody EngagementBody Scan5-4-3-2-1 SkillB.O.L.R.A.IGrounding ObjectsKatniss SkillBilateral StimulationBilateral TappingMeditative WalkProgressive Muscle RelaxationMisc. Coping SkillsMovementSplash Cold WaterDistraction The Basics Feel emotions & have thoughts. When we deal with flashbacks and panic attacks we tend to want to make the emotions go away or immediately stop the anxious … Continue reading Coping Skills Masterposts: Panic Attacks, Flashbacks & Dissociation
dissociation
Symptom Explainer: Dissociation
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
Question: How is it possible that the brain forgets abuse if its such a traumatizing event?
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?
Coping Skills: Dealing With Body Memories
Healing the connection with our bodies allows us to help our body move past trauma. Allows us to calm our bodies easier and bring ourselves back from flashbacks.
Symptom Explainer: Why Symptoms sometimes worsen overtime
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
Symptom Explainer: Why Abuse May Feel Unreal
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
Questions: Can abuse be Traumatic if you were unaware is was abuse at the time?
Thinking abuse is normal, even how sex and relationships should work, is common with CSA survivors. Most children don’t understand if and/or why sexual abuse is wrong. Kids don’t have a frame of reference of normal sexual interaction and are generally told by their abuser this is normal, this how relationships should go. If the … Continue reading Questions: Can abuse be Traumatic if you were unaware is was abuse at the time?
Opinion Article: Do we Believe in Repressed Memories?
The history, Science and Our Experience. Many people use the concept of "fabricated memories" and some doubt the psychology field around repression of memories to dismiss people who experienced childhood abuse, often sexual abuse and incest. They often site ideas of Social Contagion Theory, retracted testimony, manipulated children (who were often suffering other abuse) and … Continue reading Opinion Article: Do we Believe in Repressed Memories?
Diagnosis Primer: Dissociative Disorders
In this post, I’m going to give an outline of Dissociative identity disorder (DID) and Other Specified Dissociative disorder (OSDD). These two disorders are terribly misunderstood due to horrible representation in media, a lack of education on the topic. Many people still refer DID as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) an outdated term from when DID … Continue reading Diagnosis Primer: Dissociative Disorders
Informational Article: Remembering Abuse Later in Life
remembering your abuse years later does not make it any less real. you might think it’s a lie, or fake, or you are making it up. you wouldn’t make something that horrible up. what was done was horrific, but it’s in the past. by repressing the memory your body chose to survive. an important quote … Continue reading Informational Article: Remembering Abuse Later in Life
Survivors Healing Survivors 