During these traumatic times, it can be valuable to add whimsy, humor, and love to even routine rituals. Cinderella Cockerspaniel (Cinder) has glaucoma and takes 5 different eye drops in the morning, one in the afternoon, and three at night. Cinder gets kisses on her nose before the drops, music during, and jerky strip pieces

During these traumatic times, it can be helpful to have faith- faith in a higher power, in democracy, in loved ones, in ourselves. Faith can give birth to hope, confidence, action, and dedication. Faith can lasso anguish and despair, leading them away in defeat. Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is

Connect. On television or finding community online, or among friends, look for like-minded people and/or groups to work with, contribute to, and obtain news from. Again, it is crucial to feel connected, rather than isolated. This is tyranny’s playbook: isolate individuals, turn allies against each other, divide communities through fear, and threaten opposition into silence. 

A trauma-captured mind has trouble making decisions and thinking clearly. The areas of the brain that do those things is where trauma captures us. Trauma impacts the prefrontal cortex of the brain, causing difficulty regulating emotions, making decisions, and using our thinking (cognitions) to help ourselves or challenge what we see as injustice. Instead, it’s

When we are completely overwhelmed, it feels like being caught in a storm where hailstones are punching down—so cold and uncomfortable. Being overwhelmed is like emotional hailstones that are the biggest and hit the hardest in our most valued areas. So, the arrest of a person from another country who is (or is not) documented

Trauma is a common occurrence these days in America. At incredibly fast speeds, programs are being closed; funding is being cut; jobs are disappearing. The loss is experienced personally or by witnessing others’ suffering. How to keep from feeling helpless with anguish pressing on our hearts? Anguish is the soul of trauma. Anguish is very

That is how trauma operates. Just when you think you have found yourself— discouragement, sadness and anguish hide around corners, waiting to jump out.  And then we have things we cherish taken away—loss is the rip tide of tyranny. It leads to grief and anguish after the losses. We will talk about trauma as an

C-PTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Complex PTSD) is considered a category of PTSD with additional symptoms such as negative self-beliefs (terror, worthlessness, and helplessness). Hypervigilance can feel like a huge barrier in life- being jumpy and scared so much of time.  Also negative self-believes can haunt us, like shame and guilt. And it’s hard to