Trauma
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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…
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Four Ways We Gaslight Ourselves after Abuse
By now, most people realize that to gaslight someone is to attempt to separate them from a core belief in themselves and their reality. In a genuine gaslighting situation, an abuser will often say things like Are you sure that is how it happened? I don’t remember it that way. Or perhaps it will go like this: I think you took my words just a little too seriously. You are just too sensitive and don’t know how to take a joke. In extreme situations, the abuser suggests that something is really wrong with the victim, that they need professional help. I am pretty familiar with this phenomenon because my narcissistic ex…
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Emotional and Spiritual Wellness: Learning to Heal
Wellness is not a new concept, though, to be honest, it is for me. The dictionary defines it as the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal. I dislike that definition because it seems incomplete. The National Wellness Association (who knew there was such a thing!) defines wellness as an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence. Find them here That is better, I suppose. I am not fond of the term successful existence because it is simply so subjective. For me, wellness is about well-being. I think of that old hymn by Horatio Spafford, It Is…
