What happens to the brain when mental illness is present but left untreated? We might ignore our symptoms or not be aware that we are experiencing symptoms of mental illness. Though we don’t acknowledge and treat our mental illnesses, like depression, that doesn’t mean they aren’t active inside of our mind. Each part of theRead More
Look up the definition of “react” and you might find the word “respond”. Look up the definition of “respond” and you’ll find words like “reply”. There’s a difference between reacting and responding that we must learn in our recovery. Trauma is a disorder of reactivity. We respond to the trauma which has occurred in ourRead More
ACEs, adverse childhood experiences, are more common than one might hope them to be. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, 60 percent of the population reports living through an adverse childhood experience at least once before they come of age at 18 years old. A much smallerRead More
People in recovery are encouraged to make gratitude part of their daily life. Whether they are keeping a gratitude journal or incorporating acts of gratitude into their daily, the attitude of gratitude becomes an important part of recovery. For those who are in the treatment or early stages of recovery, gratitude might not come easily.Read More
What happens in our minds affects our bodies. A vast amount of research is instilling this statement as fact as more associations are made between mental illnesses and physical illnesses. Some of the symptoms are inherent. For example, people who have depression often feel tired, lethargic, exhausted, and fatigued. People who have anxiety often experienceRead More
Most treatment centers will offer you a composition book or journal of some kind. If they don’t provide a journal, they will recommend that you bring a journal, or a few, and utilize it every day. Journaling is an important part of the recovery journey and can support you every step of the way. FromRead More
Understanding that trauma happens to everyone and that anyone can develop PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, is a relatively new understanding. Our initial concept of PTSD comes from veterans of war, soldiers returning home who collectively displayed certain symptoms and a demonstrated disability in adjusting back to civilian life. We know today that an average ofRead More
Children are sensitive. Their brains are developing until their mid-twenties, making them ripe for memory input and formation. What children learn in school has the potential to change and shape their lives for the rest of their lives. There is often great controversy and debate about what children are taught in school and what theyRead More
What difference will a few months make? We might ask ourselves this question in exasperation. For years, perhaps a lifetime, we have suffered as a result of trauma which occurred in our life. Trauma happens to most people at some point, but how it happens, and the response of each person, is unique. We feelRead More
Everyone recovers from trauma differently because each person is an individual. Additionally, each person’s individual or multiple traumas are different. What one person takes on as trauma in their life will look different from what another person will take on as trauma in their life- both the traumatic event itself and their response to theRead More