• anniversary trauma
    Christmas,  emotional health,  emotions,  healing,  Healthy Discipline,  Trauma

    Anniversary Trauma: 5 Strategies to Overcome It

    Five Ways to Overcome Anniversary Trauma It’s funny how anniversary trauma sneaks up on a person. November 30 marked the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Eagle River, Alaska. I am currently recovering from a car accident, so while on the table with my massage therapist, I found myself extremely tense. There is a difference between muscle spasms due to injury and muscles that are clenched from tension. I had plenty of the first, but this time I had tension all over my body. I knew that my lower back had been particularly painful, but this day, the therapist couldn’t go anywhere near it. All of a sudden, it…

  • PTSD
    Anxiety,  emotional health,  PTSD,  Trauma

    PTSD: 5 Subtle Signs You Suffer from Trauma

    PTSD is no fun, but almost everyone has endured some trauma and retained the effects in their minds and bodies. Last night another 5.0 quake hit, shaking my bed and knocking a couple of books down off the shelf. As I lay in bed, I found myself automatically pleading with God to stop the quake. My mind and body remember the 7.0 quake. And if I am technically accurate, an 8.2 tremor where I was, near the epicenter. Whenever we have even a minor tremblor, my mind rehearses that earthquake, a minor flashback of sorts. I remember the bookshelf rocking back and forth as I try to keep it from…

  • Counseling,  emotional health,  Featured,  freedom,  Identity,  inner healing

    Five Ways to Contend for Your Recovery from Trauma

      Recovery from extended abuse is measured over a lifetime, though often it comes in fits and spurts. Revelations and aha moments come to those who are looking for them. I am often amused by the ‘unpopular opinion’ memes, but tonight I find myself holding one of my very own. More people avoid recovery than seek it. The world is filled with people who do not have the opportunity or means to heal, whether from extreme poverty, isolation, or even a lack of any spiritual or mental health resources. But this is not true of most people with whom I come into regular contact. And I get it. Confronting the…