Michael Roth is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Overcoming Trauma". You can find complete information on Michael Roth and his products by visiting Transforming Trauma.
Written October 17, 1988
I was out in the back yard shooting baskets with some of the boys from the neighborhood. It was a crisp, sunny fall afternoon, sweatshirt weather, and I was feeling great about life. I had finally gotten the knack of the jump shot, and was really proud of ... Views: 2090
Bioenergetic Psychology: New Ways to Resolve Symptoms of Difficult Issues
By Damaris Drewry, Ph.D. Psychology
Have you been afraid that you will have a stroke, heart attack, breast cancer or diabetes because a parent did? Only 5% of cancer and cardiovascular disease is inherited (Wallett ... Views: 2074
Video games have become a large part of society today. While once considered a past-time for nerds, in recent years they have become mainstream, incorporating popular culture, movies, tv shows and sports in a way that appeals to the masses. From computers to consoles to games and apps on phones ... Views: 2064
Recently writing about “Bully Types” resurrected an emotion I have grappled with much of my life: a) being part of a family, especially as a child and teen, riddled with mental illness and shrouded in family secrets, b) as a child and young teen, threatened and emotionally bullied by peers for ... Views: 2043
“Purebred” schizoids shrug off their disorder: they simply don’t like being around people and they resent the pathologizing of their lifestyle “choice” to remain aloof and alone. They consider the diagnosis of Schizoid Personality Disorder to be spurious, a mere reflection of current social ... Views: 2016
When Children Don’t Stand a Chance
Narcissistic mothers do not have children for the right reasons. They are not nurturers. They have no maternal instincts or genuine love to give. To the narcissistic mother, children represent a captive narcissistic supply. Because a young child’s very ... Views: 2006
Dear Dr. Romance:
I saw your article "Surviving Loss and Thriving Again" while searching for answers to my own issues. The 'loved one' I lost was myself. I loved life, loved adventure, travel, people, photography, mostly adventure! In 2 seconds my life was 'taken' away pretty much. This ... Views: 2001
Around the middle of last year, there was a day when I felt like trying yoga again, and this was partly due to the fact that I felt lighter. What also gave me a boost was that I had just spent the afternoon with a friend.
I had thought about doing this before, but I hadn’t taken the next ... Views: 2000
Physical/aggressive bullying is easy to identify. We can all see the broken bones, blood, and bruises. This type of bullying is most often chosen by men.
As a therapist, it is usually pretty easy for me to ask certain questions to get the information that physical abuse is indeed happening. ... Views: 1996
Moving house is always a stressful situation to find oneself in. It becomes even more stressful if the home that you are about to leave is one that you have built or lived in for many years.
To part with your family home can feel like cutting away a large chunk of your past. The act of ... Views: 1988
Dear Dr. Romance:
After experiencing alot of physical and emotional abuse in my life, my last relationship was very damaging emotionally and physically. Now, many years later, I haven't had a serious relationship or even a date since. I've had two opportunities this year, but one wanted ... Views: 1980
Each experience that we survive through brings a solid skill.
We need to celebrate that PTSD only wounded us, but did not kill!
The battle over our minds is the stronghold of the evil enemy.
Let us beware of thoughts that negate love, while filled with envy.
We must remember that Creator ... Views: 1969
Trust in therapy only happens at step one, with the client's willingness to admit that there is a problem and by having the courage to consciously work on it. The ‘HOW’ in therapy are indeed HONESTY, OPENNESS and WILLINGNESS!
As the client begins to open themselves up in the therapeutic ... Views: 1968
Some people are naturally more intense than others.
They are often told that they are ‘too much,’, ’too sensitive,’ ‘too emotional.
People who feel more deeply and intensely than others are more aware of subtleties; their brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. At ... Views: 1965
The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs reports that one in five combat veterans develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, either during or shortly after combat. The Mayo Clinic defines PTSD as having three main categories of symptoms: “re-experiencing symptoms,” “avoidance symptoms,” ... Views: 1963
My next several blog posts are all related to the same topic. They deal with something that happened to me in July of 1988. My Dad had died the previous Thanksgiving, and I was still in the grief process over that loss. As well, I was still involved with a 12 step program for people who had ... Views: 1954
There’s a lot to understand about post-trauma recovery. If you’re struggling with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), you’re juggling many psychological and even physical symptoms while you learn to 1) grieve and let go of your former self, 2) function in a world that no longer ... Views: 1952
(Written September 20, 1988)
We were in a house trailer just outside the Lindreth trading post, in northwest New Mexico. There were six of us on the hunt that year: My Dad and I; Morris - Dad's best friend, and his son Brad; Don - who owned the trailer and was to be our guide, and his son ... Views: 1945
After an assault, the first priority is to help your mind release the pain, shock and trauma of the experience in order to move on. To do this, you have to coax your subconscious into unfreezing itself and allowing these changes to occur. The following healing exercise is one I have used many ... Views: 1936
For the last two years I've been working to overcome the effects of damage done by my Grandmother, who we all called Mamaw. When I was 8 years old, she asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said a famous writer, and she was appalled, and said "If you are a famous writer, they'll call ... Views: 1934
Some people feel more than others.
They are often told that they are ‘too much,’ ‘too intense,’ ‘too sensitive,’ ‘too emotional.
People who feel more deeply and intensely than others are more aware of subtleties; their brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. At their ... Views: 1932
When shame becomes toxic, it can ruin our lives. Everyone experiences shame at one time another. It’s an emotion with physical symptoms like any other that comes and goes, but when it's severe, it can be extremely painful. Strong feelings of shame stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, ... Views: 1921
Because grief is, by nature, a very difficult and powerful emotion, many people have a hard time facing it directly. In some cases, it may seem easier to bottle up our grief rather than let it all out. It may seem more responsible – especially if we’re taking care of others – to put our grief on ... Views: 1919
Dear Dr. Romance:
I congratulate you for your many helpful articles on the Internet. I would like to have your advice. I am male and in the last 25 years I had a therapy experience which lasted 3 1/2 years and left me with unresolved issues; shorter therapy experiences with different ... Views: 1915
If you are currently facing a difficult period in your life, please, do know that it will not last forever! Better days will be knocking on your door in due course. Time does not only heal all wounds, it also reveals to us the method in all the madness we had to go through. We are often blinded ... Views: 1913
As a
psychic, I have seen issues that
stem from childhood. These early roots tie into our adult lives.
Jessica, 51, was a VP in marketing
contacted me for suggestions about ending her eight-thirty day period romance
with Joe, a 52 year old banker. Immediately after connecting by means ... Views: 1898
The single major cause of emotional suffering and stress in our lives comes from the accumulated habitual emotional reactions to life events that we acquire through unconscious learning. We become victims of recurrent negative thoughts and patterns of emotional reactivity that operate ... Views: 1890
By Sam Vaknin
Author of "Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited"
"Triggering cascade" is when a seemingly minor trigger results in vastly disproportional trauma.
Painful memories, replete with the attendant negative emotions, are walled behind mental barriers: combinations of dams and ... Views: 1889
Life can be so Emotionally disturbing on so many levels at times
Creating feelings of frustration, anger, anxiety, panic and what may feel like pure helplessness.
One of the most common things I am asked to teach people is in Learning - How to Cope with these Emotional Disturbances and ... Views: 1884
There is a lot of emotional and mental stress when an actual disaster happens. It can be really easy to lose all that composure and coolness when the world is falling apart and people are rioting on the streets or dying.
It is a whole different story when talking about a disaster as opposed ... Views: 1884
From my inbox, I receive the following on a regular basis. I hope it helps you or yours.
It goes something like this: I have always felt unworthy because of all that was said to me while growing up. My mother always used to be unhappy and would take it out on me, telling me that I am the ... Views: 1878
With the evolution, man has always been trying to get control over its mind to enhance its functionalities and working capabilities. He has been trying to find different methods to expand awareness, consciousness and achieving self
actualization. The traditional methods to achieve the said ... Views: 1877
By definition, revenge is quite harsh. It means to inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to someone else. For this post, I would like to alter the definition slightly in the following way: to avenge oneself by retaliating through healing, recovery and self-care.
Pretty ... Views: 1877
When you have suffered rape or sexual assault, you are carrying that shock and trauma in the cells of your body. It is particularly important to clear that shock from your system as soon as possible. If you do it straight away, the damage to you will be minimal. If, however, you leave it to ... Views: 1873
Living in the Bottom of a Well
By Sheri N Hall
You look up, you see a small circle of light- no it is not ‘Gods light’ but it is the way out. It is seemingly far away but closer than you think. It is very small; sometimes non-existent sometimes you cannot see it because you don’t want to ... Views: 1869
In light of events fifteen miles away (Baltimore) to 10,000 miles from my doorstop (Nepal), this essay titled, "Individual and Collective Crisis/Trauma Intervention and Debriefing: Ten Steps & Strategies," clearly has immediate relevance and application. Actually, the impetus for the article ... Views: 1855
Self-improvement advice on virtually any topic that interests us, written from endless points of views, is right at our fingertips. Most of the articles I write are of this genre, often with a New Age slant. Websites like SelfGrowth.com and Curezone.com are entirely devoted to this topic. A ... Views: 1846
Two individuals are robbed at gunpoint. One experiences overwhelming helplessness and has a hard month. But by the end of that time, he has pretty much resolved and integrated the incident into his life. The other person experiences intense rage. Years later, she is still struggling with the ... Views: 1843
The suggestions in this section, once again, are not substitutes for professional psychiatric care. However, many people have found self-help effective for relieving the stress of trauma and taking control of themselves. Whether you choose to seek professional help or embark on a healing path ... Views: 1833
Each experience is telling us something about ourselves, other people, the society we live in, the country, the world. The messages we receive from our experience are filtered through our belief system, previous experience and cultural norms. For example, one person may see adversity as ... Views: 1830
In life, we are all survivors, whether or not we think of ourselves that way. When we experience our first love and break up, our hearts are broken and we don't think that we will ever survive. But somehow we do, and eventually we meet someone new. When we lose our first job, whether we are ... Views: 1814
We’ve all heard of sleep disorders, but not many realize that there are literally hundreds of types of sleep disorder that can affect people’s rest.
Sleep is one of the most essential human activities and is vital if we are to get enough energy to get through the day. In addition, sleeping is ... Views: 1812
Life can change in a heartbeat. A few weeks ago, a family was stopped at a red light and rear-ended by a drunk driver. Their 10-year old son, Matthew, suffered a severe head trauma and is in a medically induced coma. The prognosis is not good and the family struggles to make sense of what was an ... Views: 1812
Apart from a John Lennon song, mind games is an expression often used by football managers and others to imply some sort of psychological manipulation of another person to gain some sort of advantage over them.This is normally fairly innocuous stuff at press conferences to try and rattle their ... Views: 1811
Regardless of where we live, we can unwillingly and unwittingly become victims of a disaster, either fueled by nature or by human error. A lightning strike in a beetle-killed forest, a single burning cigarette tossed into dry grasses along a road, or a campfire left untended can turn into an out ... Views: 1809
If someone has anxiety problems, they may have a strong need to find a way to change their life. Then again, they could simply tolerate what is taking place and do the best that they can to keep it together.
Undoubtedly, it is going to be far better if someone has a strong need to change ... Views: 1809
Let us take an imaginary, hypothetical journey together, you see.
Actually, this is something that is really happening to me.
Although, if it could happen to myself the circumstances could be yours, too.
It involves looking down on our everyday lives, examining what keeps us blue.
This ... Views: 1805
Is stress making your life seem more and more hectic? Perhaps it’s causing your performance to lag at work, leaving you feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Or perhaps your stress levels are creating problems in your relationships- with your co-works, children or even your spouse? You might ... Views: 1802
After years of struggling as a writer, by 1996, I had written two books, had publishers interested in both, and had walked away each time. Finally, in complete frustration, I gave up the dream of being a writer. I still felt something was locking up my writing, but I had no idea what it was. ... Views: 1800
This article will give you an alternative perspective in how to deal with a traumatic challenge you cannot control. The basic point is when you don’t have the ability to avoid the challenge, you do have the ability to control how you deal with it. The simple fact of how you approach it ... Views: 1797