Emotional abuse was for a long time overlooked. Trauma was thought to be something caused only by extreme physical interactions, not verbal, emotional, or mental ones. Today, professionals and individuals alike understand that emotional abuse leaves scars, too. Growing up in an environment of emotional abuse creates lasting patterns of survival and adaptability. Learning toRead More
Judy Crane, author of The Trauma Heart: We Are Not Bad People Trying to Be Good, We Are Wounded People Trying to Heal–Stories of Survival, Hope, and Healing offers a unique definition for trauma. She defines trauma as “any life event or series of life events or ongoing life events that create a negative impactRead More
A great misconception about recovery from depression is that all someone needs is a little cheering up. As the loved ones of someone who is living with depression, we want to find a way to make any kind of suffering stop. Where there is sadness, we want to bring happiness. Where there is hopelessness, weRead More
To a newcomer, the idea of life without drugs and alcohol is baffling. If you attend 12-Step meetings, you’ll notice how happy people are, and question whether or not they’re sober. How on earth could anyone go 6 months, a year, or many years without a drink or a drug? They must be lying, right?Read More
The benefits of healing touch through massage therapy are unparalleled. Massage is sometimes seen as a luxury treatment and not accessible for most people. People who make the courageous decision to attend a residential treatment program for trauma, addictions, or related mental health issues will likely encounter massage therapy as a regularly offered part ofRead More
How does a young boy of middle school age cope after he spent part of his life trapped in a parallel universe being chased by a life-threatening monster? That is how we open Season 2 of Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Stranger Things. Will is back at school with his friends, engaging in all of theRead More
Many men and women make their penultimate decision to go to treatment on the coattails of a break up. Broken-hearted and broken-spirited, they realize it is finally time to start working on the many issues which might have contributed to their relationship’s termination. No such inspiration in the world might exist more than the starkRead More
Eating disorders don’t have a look. Now that modern diagnoses of eating disorders no longer includes a weight cut-off, more people are able to come to terms with the existence of an eating disorder and get the appropriate treatment. Eating disorders are a mental health problem as much as they are a problem with weight,Read More