Many people enter the therapy process with minimal awareness of their trauma history. When the trauma survivors are dissociative, they have the ability to block out an awareness of their trauma. They may know that their family had problems, or that their family was dysfunctional, etc, but they may believe they were never abused. However, blocking out conscious awareness of trauma does not mean … [Read more...]
When a Perpetrator Dies….
Oh my goodness..... What were you doing on this day..... ? Flashing back to several years ago ...... **** Did you experience the social earthquake today? The sudden death of Michael Jackson today has caught everyone by surprise. Will he be more remembered as the King of Pop? Or will he be forever remembered as a suspected and accused child molester? Everyone will have … [Read more...]
Believing a Lie – the Foundation of Dissociation
What makes it difficult for trauma survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder to know the truth? How easy is it to trick someone with DID with a lie? When are survivors lying to themselves? When does dissociation block out information to know the difference? When does pain, especially emotional pain, become the deciding factor in what survivors believe, regardless of truth? When does the viciousness … [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...]
What do you think about Suicide?
Suicide is a difficult topic. All too many trauma survivors feel drawn to it. Mental health professionals fight against it. Insurance companies dismiss it. Religions disagree about it. The world out there doesn’t know how to interpret it. The world does not know how to talk about it. It’s controversial and complex. There are no simple answers. Who’s to blame for it? The … [Read more...]