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.
Caring about someone with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) tosses you on a roller coaster ride from being loved and lauded to abandoned and bashed. Being a borderline (having BPD) is no picnic, either. You live in unbearable psychic pain most of the time on the border between reality and ... Views: 1778
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: 1910
Natural disasters, combat and other situations where there is a need for a heightened flight-or-fight response can have far-reaching effects, the most prominent of which tends to be long-lasting traumatic stress. The effects of traumatic stress can make everyday functions difficult. You may ... Views: 831
Trauma head injury occurs when the head is subject to a blow or a wound. When a person suffers a trauma head injury, it should be assumed that the brain is also affected. Because of this, it's imperative that any traumatic head injury be evaluated by a medical professional as soon as ... Views: 2324
One of the most direct ways to transform your life is to let go of the past. Many people try to let go of painful memories or forget the past. Another option is to let go of emotional wounds from the past.
Emotions are different from thoughts. Emotions are experienced in the body. According ... Views: 1268
Is your past still affecting you? Are painful emotions from childhood holding you back?
How do you know if your past is still affecting you?
Some people are very aware of how their past affects their present. For example, being a child of divorce can create insecurity and worry in present ... Views: 1264
People are looking for ways to improve their lives and create more success. Many methods focus on changing thoughts and behaviors. Releasing emotional wounds from the past is another option. Could this option be right for you?
What causes emotional wounds?
Painful or traumatic events from ... Views: 1380
An Oscar-nominated documentary called “The Invisible War” tackles the seemingly taboo subject of rape and sexual assault in the military. ABC News covered a quick story of the documentary and featured three women who bravely volunteered their personal stories of being raped while enlisted in the ... Views: 1572
Operation: I.V is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2012 that helps combat veterans heal from both PTSD as well as traumatic brain injuries. Its founder, Roxann Abrams, is a Gold Star Mother who lost her son SFC Randy Abrams in 2009. Randy took his own life after experiencing a PTSD flashback from ... Views: 1695
According to an article released by CBS News called “Fake Service Dogs a Growing Problem,” real service dogs help assist a wide variety of individuals, including “people who use power or manual wheelchairs, have balance issues, have various types of autism, need seizure alert or response, need ... Views: 1422
PBS Frontline estimates that almost half a million soldiers are afflicted with some form of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, admittedly, that number is “hard to pinpoint,” because TBIs can easily go either mis/undiagnosed by the medical community. However, some TBIs can be deadly if left ... Views: 1347
Do you know that you can be living with a brain aneurism and might not even know it? An article released by ABC News called “8 Everyday Ways to Have a Brain Bleed” says that if you “[smoke], [have] hypertension, [are] female or [have] a family history of an aneurisms,” you have a higher risk ... Views: 1423
The Scripps Research Institute in California created a study that proved that stress had a direct correlation to addiction (and therefore substance abuse). Psychology Today captured the study in 2010 under the article title, “Stress Hormone Key to Alcohol Dependence”. It is no secret that stress ... Views: 1546
Combat soldiers are placed in a very precarious position once they join the military. While they were civilians, soldiers were taught that violence and murder were both morally wrong, and should refrain from committing such acts against others. However, on the battlefield, these same soldiers ... Views: 1277
This past Monday was Memorial Day, a day to celebrate those military members who have made “the ultimate sacrifice”. The History Channel hosts a video on the channel’s website called “Memorial Day” that delves into the history behind the holiday.
The inspiration behind the holiday was first ... Views: 1229
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: 1420
The military can quickly become an all-consuming lifestyle for both soldiers and their families. However, when those soldiers are discharged and released back into the civilian world, one out of five of those soldiers will severely struggle with that adjustment.
The U.S. Department of ... Views: 1208
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: 1641
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: 1241
The Grand Jury file on reports filed against Sandusky in the Penn State Sex abuse scandal illustrates some of the most egregious rationalizing (right up there with the Catholic Church's sexual abuse of children) in our country. There are some people involved who attempted to do the right thing ... Views: 1355
According to a website called Army.mil, ever since WWI, mothers of fallen soldiers have dubbed themselves as “Gold Star Mothers”. The name derived from the Gold Star, a symbol in the military known for “loss and sacrifice”. Ever since 1936, September 29th has officially been recognized by the ... Views: 1532
A young mother experiences a difficult birth and illness of her first child and then a difficult choice when her own illness affects her next pregnancy. Learn how writing became a saving grace and sense of hope during this difficult time.
A Witch's AuraDevon Volkel is now a 30 year old stay ... Views: 1346
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: 1951
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: 1210
There is no health without emotional health. Over 90% of all illnesses are caused by mental and emotional stress. It is the number one reason for doctor visits in America today and the psychiatric drugs prescribed are second only to painkillers.
Emotional pain is an umbrella term for: fear, ... Views: 1646
We all need an emotional harbor; a place where we can relax our sails of tension, frustration and worry. Needs and definitions vary, and many find sufficient peace and release in the presence of family, friends or others therapeutically. This is a good way to stroke the heart, distract the mind ... Views: 1619
How would you know if you were the only sane person in an insane asylum? Now imagine yourself as a child with no prior knowledge of what is sane or normal. How would a child know if they were a sane person in a family with disturbed parents?
A significant part of the trauma of growing up ... Views: 4475
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: 1801
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: 1795
“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: 2006
When we feel different than the person we are projecting to others, it can cause stress and sometimes shame. Most of us have felt that way at times, and the ability to integrate again is usually fluid. But when we feel fragmented and fake most of the time, it can be extremely painful and ... Views: 2332
Mindfulness is about stabilizing. Studies have shown that people who have experienced trauma can benefit highly from this type of work. (Cullen, 2011). When people have experienced trauma, they can be challenged with high levels of stress, anxiety and depression at any time.
When we increase ... Views: 1191
“It is estimated that 70% of adults in the United States will experience one or more traumatic events in their lives, and 20% will go on to develop PTSD”1 For individuals who suffer from PTSD and other psychological disorders, conventional treatment methods may not be ... Views: 5900
Psychological trauma can change the course of a person’s life and in some cases leave devastating life-long scars. Trauma can come from any situation that poses a threat to personal safety or sense of wellbeing. The events can be real or perceived; trauma is any event that the psyche can’t ... Views: 5000
The funeral was lovely. It was packed with friends paying their respects. But once everyone else has gone back to normal routines, close family and dear friends still grieve for the lost loved one. They may feel that the world has passed them by and feel very alone.
Now is a perfect moment to ... Views: 1316
We cringe as we hear of the latest mass tragedy whether it's another shooting, a hurricane, tornado, fire, or flood. It's just one more horrific event that fills our daily thoughts and hearts. Yet, we never believe that something so awful could ever happen to us or to anyone close to ... Views: 1599
When my grandmother passed away at 98 it was a very difficult time in my life. As part of the process of working through my own grief I wrote the following poem.
Grandma Went Home On Mother’s Day
She was the mother of a son and a daughter.
She was the loving grandmother to five.
She was ... Views: 1504
Are you worried that you may be involved in a codependent relationship? You are not alone. Most people associate codependency with a partner who has an alcohol and substance abuse addiction, but there are other situations that can foster a codependent relationship. Following ... Views: 5645
When someone close to us dies many companies will give you a few days off with pay to recover. Much of the rest of our society seems to believe that grief is something very temporary. If only it were that simple or easy. Grief is not about forgetting or “ getting over it. “ It is about learning ... Views: 3383
Good morning my friends….
Here we are ready to face another day of giving and making a difference. We started our day very early this morning. I’m not sure why we all woke up so early but I have great expectations for this day. Let’s get started –
It’s been put on my heart to speak ... Views: 969
When we imagine our children becoming addicted to drugs we often envision dimly lit alleys filled with questionable characters persuading our impressionable children to smoke, snort, or even shoot illicit street drugs. However, the most realistic threat to our children’s sobriety is not in the ... Views: 5057
Are you sabotaging your own recovery? How many times have you been in rehabilitation only to relapse back into the madness that you swore you would leave behind? You want to recover. You want to lead a recovered life, but in the end, the result is always the same. You sabotage yourself, your ... Views: 4952
What role do your beliefs play in your ability to completely recover? Do your beliefs disempower you? A belief is a perception, conviction, or opinion that you hold about yourself, a situation, event, or others. Beliefs are not necessarily true or fact-based, however, they are something we ... Views: 4413
Dr. Romance writes:
A couple of years ago, I had some difficult dental work. It was very painful, and while I recovered physically pretty quickly, I had some post -traumatic stress reactions – bad dreams, flashbacks, and upset – after my recovery. I had to acknowledge my upset and feelings, ... Views: 1589
I think it is safe to say that there is not one person on this planet that would choose to be born into an abusive situation, whether it is any of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or sexual abuse.
As human beings, we are programmed to not like pain or suffering, however, at the hands of ... Views: 1397
With pain and suffering in the world, it can sometimes be difficult to believe that our world is still a beautiful place with beautiful people.
When tragedy strikes – look for the helpers to lean on.
There has and continues to be catastrophic events in life. Whether they are brought about ... Views: 1153
If you are some who looks back on their past with amazingly fond memories and never experienced any regret, shame, or sadness regarding choices you've made, then this article is so not for you.
This article is for the rest of us.
The ones who are either trying vigorously to forget the ... Views: 1481
We’ve become a society accepting the high level of stress in our lives. We struggle to pay bills, keep up with our children and their activities, and work in jobs with diminished rewards. A general feeling of malaise adds even more to our loads. How long can we carry our burdens without some ... Views: 971
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: 1970
Today about 17.5 million people are getting trained for waging wars. They are being trained to imbibe the ‘art’ of using murderous weapon, killing other humans and thus destroying precious wealth of the world. This then is their ‘artistic skills’. All specialties of their inner personality are ... Views: 1378