Jun 30 2016
Much of trauma healing is helping the nervous system become more “resilient.” Rather than spend a few hours or even days drowning in a state of terror, tension and nervousness after getting triggered, doing one or more of these exercises can help the nervous system shift into a different state sooner. Each time you do …
Sep 11 2015
I’ve seen a number of great lists floating around the internet about what people with PTSD wish the people around them understood, so I thought I’d create my own version. From my perspective after 8 years of recovery, these are the things I wish people understood. Enjoy! PTSD is as real as any physical wound. …
Jul 27 2015
Calm down and color! I’ve been working on some coloring pages to include in my book of self-healing exercises for PTSD. I’ve finished this one design and added three different backgrounds. I have another design I’m working on of fish underwater which I will add to this post if I can finish it. 1. Coloring …
Apr 28 2015
If you have PTSD you may notice you have an overwhelmingly negative outlook on life. You may see motivational messages about thinking positively and want to give it a whirl. I know I see people who are infectiously positive and I think to myself, “Wow, I’d love to be like that!” I think that learning …
Apr 07 2015
Most of these haikus are more related to my earlier years of PTSD than the current time of PTSD. I was really in the “living hell” of PTSD from 2007 until December 2014 – now I’m in partial living hell but I’m reorganizing my brain somewhat due to seeing a Somatic Experiencing therapist since October. …
Mar 08 2015
I attended a Writing from the Heart workshop with Aile Shebar on June 14, 2014. During the workshop, Aile Shebar gave us many writing tips. A number of tips were about what to do when facing a feeling of stagnation, overwhelm, or writer’s block with a writing project. One tip was to write a haiku …
Jan 07 2015
Synonyms (Alternate Titles): Into The Body Exercise, Physical Containment and Support Exercise, Connecting Body To Earth Exercise, Mind Body Ground Linking Exercise, Awakening Physical Presence Exercise, One Location One Time Exercise. Healing Mechanisms: Focused attention on bodily sensations. Focused attention is a skill of the mind. Sensation is an attribute of our biology, our nervous …
Jan 06 2015
Grounding is a powerful tool in the trauma healing toolkit because it generally reduces states of activation, sometimes quickly and significantly. Experiencing an almost total reduction in activation just through grounding can be surprising, since grounding is very simple. Definition: Grounding is the act of connecting more deeply and completely to the body, strengthening the …
Oct 03 2014
Miss Kitty has an anger problem. Can you help her? Can you show Miss Kitty how to decide to think before going into a rage? Can you show Miss Kitty how to take 3 deep breaths when she feels angry? Can you figure out what universal human needs are behind Miss Kitty’s angry, rageful thoughts …
Sep 23 2014
It’s time to slow down that fear-based thinking! When we are hyped up or keyed up, we tend to think at a fast pace with a high level of urgency. We may feel as if our thoughts are racing out of control or going round and round in circles. Of course, this is not a …
