Platitudes. Most people don’t know what they are, though they are present in our everyday lives. The definition of platitude is a statement that has lost its original weight and meaning due to being overused. Statements like “nobody’s perfect” and “it is what it is” are examples of them. It can be frustrating to be…
Tag: trauma response
Navigating the Holidays with PTSD
The holidays are a wonderful time of the year. They involve much-needed time off from work, family, and celebrations like Christmas, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Krampusnacht, and Hanukkah. They also represent the end of a year and closing another chapter of our lives. Most of the time, we associate the holidays with joy and happiness. Traditional…
Losing Your Identity After Trauma
In a moment, you can lose everything. The stability of your world is rocked. You no longer trust what you see or believe. What was once solid and trustworthy now feels fragile and rotten. Nothing is safe, nothing is reliable, nothing makes sense. Maybe you were a child when it happened. Maybe your parent died….
So It Goes.
Last week I saw Robert B. Weide’s incredible documentary Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time. It brought me back to my twenties when I voraciously read 13 Vonnegut books back to back. He is utterly brilliant. When I heard that he had died in 2007, I remember saying, “How is the sun still shining or world…
5 Tips to Heal Generational Trauma
When we think of trauma, we think of something that happens in the present. Perhaps someone witnesses a murder or is the victim of a home invasion. Or perhaps someone grows up with an alcoholic parent or has experienced sexual violence. However, there’s also something called “generational trauma” that can cause just as much damage…
Five Ways to Support Women Struggling with PTSD at Work
So very many workplaces are heavily male-dominated. As a whole, men hold most leadership positions and earn more than their female counterparts. When a woman is coping with PTSD, especially from sexual violence, she might find it difficult to feel safe, seen, or heard. Additionally, women are often left out of the conversation about how…
Childhood Shame Can Affect Adult Relationships
Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough? That no matter what you do, you can’t please anyone? If so, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. But where do these feelings come from? Maybe you were always the ‘bad’ kid in school. Maybe you were never good enough…
Surviving Trauma from Sexual Violence
When you’ve been sexually assaulted, it feels as though your world has been turned upside down. Everything you know and believe has been shattered. The person who violated your body and mind now occupies a space inside your head that you can never get rid of. You try to push the memories away, but they…
Responsible Community Response
In August 2012, I published a post on my former O. M. Grey blog, “Caught in the Cogs,” that outlines how to respond to an accusation of sexual violence so as not to further traumatize the victim. It contains examples of what to say and what not to say. The things I wrote and experienced…
How To Find Authentic Connections With C-PTSD
If you struggle with C-PTSD, then you understand how difficult it can be to let go of the learned behaviors your brain developed to protect you in survival mode. On the road to recovery, many of us seek out genuine relationships but aren’t quite sure how to find success in them. There’s a ton of…
Christine Rose 