Healing from childhood trauma requires survivors to hold the conviction we deserved better, that we were "enough." There's no room for self-cruelty, not anymore. Our old survival patterns will try to seduce us otherwise, but self-compassion & patience are non-negotiable tools for recovery. #cptsd

Healing from childhood trauma requires survivors to hold the conviction we deserved better, that we were "enough." There's no room for self-cruelty, not anymore. Our old survival patterns will try to seduce us otherwise, but self-compassion & patience are non-negotiable tools for recovery. #cptsd

Trauma may manifest as ruminations and flashbacks, but trauma isn’t stuck in your thoughts; its wedged in your body. Talking & writing help align our language to emotions, but we still have to feel the emotions to heal. Tremors, rage & tears are the Inner Child showing the path of the body. #cptsd

As someone with cPTSD and more years of fires and struggles than not, I really appreciated this reminder. 💛

Trauma may manifest as ruminations and flashbacks, but trauma isn’t stuck in your thoughts; its wedged in your body. Talking & writing help align our language to emotions, but we still have to feel the emotions to heal. Tremors, rage & tears are the Inner Child showing the path of the body. #cptsd

Folks think trauma recovery is like throwing a switch: on / off. They're wrong. Trauma recovery is rewiring the whole damn house, inch by inch. It means methodically pulling out the old wires - they *will* cause a fire - and installing brand new ones. Rewiring the brain is labor. #cptsd #recovery

Folks think trauma recovery is like throwing a switch: on / off. They're wrong. Trauma recovery is rewiring the whole damn house, inch by inch. It means methodically pulling out the old wires - they *will* cause a fire - and installing brand new ones. Rewiring the brain is labor. #cptsd #recovery

Recovery is summoning the storm of emotions while meeting the wind & rain with patience, self-love & acceptance. The wizardry of healing`is not abandoning your need of care & protection even when the winds swirl and thunder cracks. Draw out the warmth of the sun during the storm. #cptsd #recovery

💯💯💯 When supported by self-compassion, feeling IS the healing. ❤️‍🩹

💯💯💯 When supported by self-compassion, feeling IS the healing. ❤️‍🩹

Recovery is summoning the storm of emotions while meeting the wind & rain with patience, self-love & acceptance. The wizardry of healing`is not abandoning your need of care & protection even when the winds swirl and thunder cracks. Draw out the warmth of the sun during the storm. #cptsd #recovery

Survivors too often berate ourselves for self-sabotage and being “our own worst enemy.” Self-sabotage gives us the illusion of control, it’s an attempt to protect ourselves. It’s not a discipline problem, it’s because no one ever showed us we were safe when we were young & vulnerable. #cptsd

Be kind to yourself and please respond to that email before it ruins your whole damn week. Part of recovery is building trust in yourself to take action where you can. Repeatedly booting small tasks just inflames shame. Start small, be consistent & be kind. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd

Survivors aren't primarily angry over the lack of care from abusive & incompetent parents, we’re angry their actions made us think we’re unlovable & worthless. Our own self-disgust is the living legacy of that trauma. Our homes shaped us, but we reshape ourselves now thru self-compassion. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd

As a childhood trauma survivor, I don’t trust survivors who say they’d “happily” choose the same life again, “because it made them who they are.” The vibe is off, it doesn’t pass the sniff test. If you ain’t leading w/ the challenges of grieving & acceptance, I see no wisdom in your words. #cptsd

Abandonment trauma metastasizes into every part of our being, there are no "clear margins." The failure of medical metaphors to capture psychological healing is that recovery is never about "cutting out" - as if we could cut out the past - but about integration & acceptance & self-love. #cptsd

New book day! Really excited to get stuck into this exciting new read on #NarrativeTherapy with older adults, edited by Rosslyn Offord, Elizabeth Field & @pollykaiser.bsky.social 📚 #PsychSky #TherapistSky #TherapistsConnect

This was more thought provoking than expected. Recovering from trauma w/o family (sometimes w/ family as the abusers) is so damn tough. I really think AI could be a useful bridge by providing the simulacrum of support. But not sure it works for me...🧵 #cptsd www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/03/m...

Complex trauma is a distortion in self-perception, damaging our sense of worth, our lovability, our ability to act. If trauma changes self-perception, so does healing. Healing is slippery, we're using the same tool that likes to distort things - our brain. Go slow, progress over perfection. #cptsd

Very useful if you're looking to share longer-form posts, or even short stories, blogs, etc. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #lifewriting

May you get what you need today, even if you have to give it to yourself.

It seems Janina Fisher has a new YouTube channel and is doing interviews with some wonderful folks. The fist interview was with Ruth Cohn who specializes in neglect. Interesting to hear about new research findings in this area. #IFS #cptsd www.youtube.com/watch?v=21kp...

Trauma recovery is kind of a mind f*ck. There’s so much to learn just to *feel pain* – without distraction, diminishment, or dissociation – and then to witness that pain with empathy and acceptance. All healers are doing truly radical self-work, it can only be viewed as a sacred process. ✨ #cptsd

New book now on Amazon! a.co/d/7jhhPN1 #cptsd #complextrauma #betrayaltrauma #narcissisticabuse

Sometimes, in trauma recovery, getting better does not always mean feeling better. We developed coping skills, distractions & distortions to feel better in the short term, but they didn't heal. Healing doesn't just mean feeling better, it means becoming better at feeling ❤️‍🩹

TOXIC positivity is definitely toxic. #cptsd #ptsd #partswork #partsworktherapy #psychology #healing #therapy #trauma #traumarecovery #mentalhealth

A thoughtful and compassionate discussion about the combined impact of bullying / peer rejection and parental neglect. #cptsd #traumanotpd youtu.be/OW08NoTQI1c?...

Hype.r.vigilance: “[Mental health care in the 1980s/90s was a] Parental Responsibility Avoidance Industry…pathologizing children while not asking shit about the parents.” This guy (on IG) is great, IMO. Speaks mostly on narcissistic parents. #cptsd #recovery

Executive dysfunction is real, but it wouldn't have such a significant impact on people's lives if our everyday experience was free from efficiency gurus, productivity dowsers, attention barons, and austerity entrepreneurs.

"Trauma is not just a bad memory we have to 'let go' and forget." Plenty more... My own impoverished mental health literacy kept me from seeking help, or more specifically, knowing I could even be helped. ❤️‍🩹

Much of my biblio-therapy (book reading therapy) is about finding good models to think through & with. I've found the language of "schemas" helpful b/c they divide different maladaptive traits I've had difficulty distinguishing/naming. For example... 👇 www.schematherapy.com/id73.htm

Childhood abuse & neglect aren't just "bad memories." They are a systematic denial of care, a refusal to grant opportunities to grow & develop in healthy ways. Recovery isn't about "letting go," its about creating systems of self-compassion, protection & acceptance, every day going forward. #cptsd

Maybe it's me, but when trying to dig out of a lifetime of trauma-driven pain & despair, "hope" seems like total BS. We need a ton of self-compassion, plus the positive harnessing of anger to overcome our inertia. Hope is born from these, it ain’t the cause of them. #cptsd #recovery

As always, a good read by @drdoylesays.bsky.social... "When we’re caught in cycles of thinking, feeling, and doing things that we don’t understand and seem to be ruining our life, it’s temping to get frustrated with or aggressive toward ourselves." useyourdamnskills.com/2025/09/30/h...

As always, a good read by @drdoylesays.bsky.social... "When we’re caught in cycles of thinking, feeling, and doing things that we don’t understand and seem to be ruining our life, it’s temping to get frustrated with or aggressive toward ourselves." useyourdamnskills.com/2025/09/30/h...

Let your Words Flow Online workshop Writing for Wellbeing Creative writing makes you feel good, with wonderful ideas & mood-boosting inspiration. Choose Sun 12 Oct 2–4pm, or Sat 18 Oct 10am–12pm. Only £25. Booking details: www.writingforwellbeing.co.uk/therapy-and-... #WritingforWellbeing #writing

Another author interview at the Feathered Quill. #booksky #beingbroken #IndieAuthorCommunity featheredquill.com/author-inter...

I don’t know what stage of healing I’m at, but I’m more sad & more angry than I’ve ever been. I can finally acknowledge the horrible things that happened to that poor child - me - were undeserved. My heart breaks for that kid. But that's also why I'm furious. Healing ain't easy. #cptsd #recovery

Our core belief of defectiveness doesn’t *tell* us we're broken – as if we need convincing over & over & over. *Knowing* we are broken is the starting point for every moment of self-talk. Survivors need to remind ourselves of our basic worth. This requires a foundation of self-compassion.❤️‍🩹 #cptsd

Movies that center on “male emotional pain” … w accuracy … - GlenGary GlenRoss - Sideways - About Schmidt - Brokeback Mountain - The Deer Hunter - Fight Club - Kramer vs Kramer (pls add to list)

Self Care September - Day 24: Accept yourself and remember that you are worthy of love actionforhappiness.org/self-care-se... #SelfCareSeptember

An activated nervous system influences thought. For trauma survivors, it also shapes how we view ourselves - *our state shapes our story.* We must learn to recognize state-specific thinking & cognitive distortions. Summon self-compassion, regulate, then reflect. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd #recovery

Complex trauma survivors often struggle w/understanding how much we mean to other people, how much we actually matter. Our past despair has deceived us into thinking we're forever burdensome or worthless. We must learn to love ourselves and open up to seeing how others care for us. #cptsd

Being "trauma-informed" means properly contextualizing our symptoms too. I'd often recognize a problem (left column) and shame myself for being undisciplined or weak or having some personality defect. This worked...until it didn't, I'm still picking up the pieces. Be kind to yourself. ❤️‍🩹

While the link between PTSD and suicide is well-established, its critical to point out new research suggests suicide and complex PTSD has an even greater positive association. #cptsd #worldsuicidepreventionday #putCPTSDintheDSM 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 👇👇👇

While the link between PTSD and suicide is well-established, its critical to point out new research suggests suicide and complex PTSD has an even greater positive association. #cptsd #worldsuicidepreventionday #putCPTSDintheDSM 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 👇👇👇

I've just launched a Goodreads ebook giveaway where 100 lucky readers will each win a copy of my memoir! Don't miss your chance to enter and be part of the journey! 🍀📚✨ #GoodreadsGiveaway #BookGiveaway #Memoir 🤞👉 Enter here: bit.ly/4m7lVT0

For those with CPTSD, here's an anonymous survey collecting data to help get it recognized in the DSM. "Too often, CPTSD survivors are ignored by research, excluded from policy, or misrepresented by systems that never asked the right questions..." www.thehealingandcptsdfoundation.org/census

For those with CPTSD, here's an anonymous survey collecting data to help get it recognized in the DSM. "Too often, CPTSD survivors are ignored by research, excluded from policy, or misrepresented by systems that never asked the right questions..." www.thehealingandcptsdfoundation.org/census

Well, it's official. I'm overwhelmed. I never expected anything like this. I feel validated and seen. This was incredibly difficult to write, but my sister's story needed to be written. Thank you to everyone who's bought it. #booksky #beingbroken www.nycbigbookaward.com/2025-favorit...