I've written a fair bit about childhood sexual abuse. Children are young, small, and without resources. Grasping the innocence of those children is easily seen and understood. As adults, trauma survivors can more easily grasp the complex dynamics of being forced into abusive dynamics when still a small, young child. But for some folks, trauma and abuse doesn't stop in childhood. It may have started in childhood, … [Read more...]
Expressing Anger Instead of Pain
Every now and then, Dr. Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) from HBO's series, "In Treatment" comes out with a good line, full of depth, and accurate to the therapy process. In one of the episodes I saw this week, Dr. Weston says, "Is it easier to be angry with me than to look at your own pain?" His client was throwing all kinds of angry jabs at him when clearly she was angry, upset, and miserable about her own … [Read more...]
10 Life-Lessons I’ve Learned from Multiples, part 1
No, I'm not a multiple. I do not have multiple personalities. I do not have Dissociative Identity Disorder. But I know multiples very well. I am a trauma therapist who has worked almost exclusively with people with dissociative disorders. I met my first DID survivor 30 years ago. Since then, I have met more multiples than I can count, and I have spent hours and hours and hours each week -- and most … [Read more...]