Tag: complex PTSD
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Internal Family Systems and Complex Trauma
How IFS helps rebuild safety, identity, and trust There are several types of trauma therapy that address the deep and multifaceted nature of Complex PTSD (CPTSD). One therapeutic approach called Internal Family Systems (IFS) can be incredibly effective. I’ll be honest, when my therapist started telling me about it, I didn’t believe in the “mumbo…
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Dissociation: A Mind’s Way of Protecting Itself
Understanding the disconnect—and why it’s not your fault I didn’t know I was dissociating until my therapist gently suggested I look it up. I thought I was just zoning out, overplanning, or being “too in my head.” But dissociation isn’t laziness or distraction—it’s a defense mechanism. One that helped me survive what I couldn’t process.…
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Living with Complex PTSD
Understanding the layers—and learning how to heal Complex PTSD (CPTSD) isn’t just a diagnosis—it’s a lived experience. It’s what happens when trauma isn’t a single event, but a pattern. When harm comes from the people who were supposed to protect you. When survival becomes your default setting. I didn’t know I had CPTSD for most…
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When Trauma Shows Up in Your Eyes
Listening to the symptoms your body can’t hide We often hear that “the eyes are the window to the soul,” but what happens when the soul is shaken by trauma? For many people, including myself, the aftermath of a mental break doesn’t just live in the mind. It shows up in the body, and for…
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Are You Triggered?
Understanding trauma responses—and why they’re not overreactions I used to cringe when people joked about being “triggered.” It’s often said with sarcasm, used to dismiss someone’s pain or mock their sensitivity. Triggers are real. They’re not dramatic. They’re not weakness. They’re the body’s way of remembering what it had to survive. What Triggers Actually Are…