I was traumatized when I was very young. I spent my entire life dissociated, disconnected, anxious and depressed. I wanted to feel better but nobody was able to help. Eventually I connected the dots and realized the suffering I experienced had a name and it was "complex trauma".

I'm still reading Pete Walkers "Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving". I've read a number of recent books about trauma, but nothing comes close to the quality of Pete Walker's book. On every page, I feel "seen and understood". I recommend it because it might change your life.

Reposting this because Pete Walker's book on cPTSD is so amazing!!

I had a really lovely IFS training class today. We do actual IFS sessions in small groups, and each group is moderated by an experienced IFS therapist. It is a deep, rich learning experience. The more I practice IFS, the more I love it.

I get a really bad feeling when I get taken in by an AI video. It makes me feel like I can't trust anything I see online.

Ouch! Number 5 is so painful!!

I've got a lot of these cPTSD signs, how about you?

This is a DBT distress tolerance worksheet. It has some very effective tools to bring immediate calm when you are in the middle of what I call a "tidal wave of emotion" The "cold water" technique is amazing. It used to bring me relief every time.

Trauma survivors don't instinctively keep our stories & experiences to ourselves because we love handling them on our own. We've often been conditioned to believe we HAVE to handle them on our own-- & that putting words to our world makes us vulnerable. Breathe. You make sense.

“You didn’t deserve that. I’m here now. You are safe.”

@Ivy3lue As a traumatized child, I felt unheard, neglected and abandoned but I had no words to express that hurt, so the wound stayed in me for decades, until it was healed by trauma therapy. Putting words to your own life experiences is a necessary part of healing.

I'd like to add that since I completed a few years of IFS trauma therapy, I haven't experienced any of those paralyzing, excruciating emotional flashbacks. I still get symptoms, but they are rare and much milder now. The symptoms no longer stop me from living my life.

In my non-pathologizing counselling course, I am learning how helpers must always be aware of their own agendas or moral stances. Neutrality is not easy! We are not there to push our own personal perspectives. We are there to help the client find and honor theirs.

What a great list!!

I love this so much!!

Understanding how the human nervous system and brain reacts to trauma helps you understand that you are not "broken". Everything your brain and nervous system did was to protect you from whatever terrible things were happening. You are a good person and you can heal.

I feel this! Growing up with undiagnosed autism plus complex trauma meant I was unable to articulate and express what was happening to me in spoken words. After years of overexplaining and realizing people still didn't "get" me, I became very quiet.

What a great list!!

Complex trauma is weird. I can be having a pleasant, calm day and suddenly anxiety symptoms show up, telling me I should be watchful in case something bad happens. I just told my "anxiety protector part" I was thankful for its concern and reassured it I will be careful.

Understanding how the human nervous system and brain reacts to trauma helps you understand that you are not "broken". Everything your brain and nervous system did was to protect you from whatever terrible things were happening. You are a good person and you can heal.

When you've spent years with your brain and nervous system constantly in "survival mode", its not easy to establish safety, calm and consistency. It takes time and patient, repeated practice to heal your nervous system and brain. Even in recovery you will still work on this!