Trauma can affect sleep in a few different ways. It may be more difficult to fall asleep due to fears and anxieties and a general cognitive preoccupation with worried thoughts. Because of a general hyper-arousal of the nervous system it can be difficult to remain…

There is a growing recognition among trauma therapists that there can be positive personal growth that occurs for some individuals after a trauma.  It is defined as the experience of individuals whose development in some areas has surpassed what was present before the traumatic event.…

Polyamory is the philosophy or experience of being in love or romantically involved with more than one person at the same time. Despite the fact that this is not the standard relationship form in our society, that does not mean that it is inherently unhealthy.…

For so many of the folks I work with in therapy shame is an overwhelming part of their lives, and shame is toxic to the soul. Guilt is feeling bad for something you have done whereas shame is feeling bad about who you are. When…

When you have grown up in a situation that was abusive, neglectful or chaotic you learned to survive in that environment. But once you have grown up and gotten out of that situation many of those skills will no longer serve you. And it may…

So many of us are terribly hard on ourselves. I think we believe if we just tried a little bit hard, buckled down a bit more, were more self-critical we could find a way to be better. Sometimes this comes from growing up in an…