• Anxiety,  Birth,  Depression,  Miscarriage,  Postnatal,  Pregnancy,  Stillbirth,  Trauma

    Resources for Pregnancy and Infant Loss

    I have worked with a number of women and families who have experienced struggles with infertility, miscarriages, stillbirth and birth trauma. In my friendship group, I have known even more women that have gone through the heart break of miscarriages and stillborn babies. An organization I want to share with you is for families who have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss. Return to Hope: Zero offers a variety of resources including webinars, articles, lists of support groups and providers who work with families who have gone through similar losses. I encourage women and families to reach out to support groups to share their stories and receive support, validation and…

  • Anxiety,  BIPOC,  Birth,  Coping Skills,  Depression,  Miscarriage,  Postnatal,  Pregnancy,  Stillbirth,  Trauma

    Supportive FREE Webinar

    Return to Zero: HOPE is sponsoring a free webinar this Saturday, February 27th, 10am PST – – Optimizing Resilience: Mental Health in Black and African American Communities led by Dorienna M. Alfred, PhD. This webinar is intended for both bereaved parents and providers. We hope you’ll join us at 10am PST on Saturday for this important topic. Register here: https://rtzhope.org/webinar

  • Addiction,  Anxiety,  attachment,  Coping Skills,  Depression,  DID,  Dissociation,  Mindfulness,  Miscarriage,  Pregnancy,  Somatic,  Stillbirth,  Trauma

    What does “bottom up processing” mean?

    A lot of effective therapy is considered “top down.” As in we talk, using our brain, cognitive work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a tried and true and effective method for therapy. I happen to use “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT ( pronounced like the work “act”) to do this cognitive work. But we know from research (in fact the more research that is done, the more it confirms this fact) that trauma memories are stored quite differently than regular memories. Trauma memories when re-experienced can feel here and now, and unending. Often times, they are experienced as “emotional flashbacks.” That is a feeling that has no words or explanation of…