. *** trigger warning for dissociative trauma survivors *** The collage and the material discussed in this blog is emotionally intense and could be triggering. Please be sure that you are in a safe place before reading further. . Trauma survivors with dissociative identity disorder often have to live a double life. There is the public face, full of pretty smiles and general surface chatter that says “I’m fine”, … [Read more...]
What Did Your Mother Teach You?
Mother’s Day. Mother's Day is a hard day for a lot of dissociative trauma survivors. It’s a day full of mixed emotions, painful longings, unhealed heartbreak. It's so complicated, especially when you think about how important mothers are to their children, and what their behavior teaches their children. Mother's Day hurts the people who were hurt so much by their mothers. Mothers are a complicated subject, … [Read more...]
Who Really Did It? Re: Teen Dating Abuse
The advertising for General Hospital's segment on teen violence / teen dating abuse** caught my attention. I decided I would check out this "Must See Week!" since the topic is such an important one, especially after all the media coverage of the Chris Brown / Rhianna abusive incident. Today's teenagers do need to know about domestic violence issues, and I was hoping that General Hospital would do the topic … [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...]
Addressing Depression in Trauma Disorders
It is no secret that trauma survivors get depressed, and depression is the most commonly known and experienced mental health disorder. Typical depression symptoms include: Suicidal thoughts, recurring death thoughts, death wishes Suicidal behavior and suicide attempts Self destructive behavior, self injury, self harm Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, self hatred, or not deserving to live Loss … [Read more...]