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Attachment Neglect and Deprivation Trauma: How EMDR Can Help
Attachment wounds, neglect and deprivation trauma are not as well known types of trauma as what some call “Big T” trauma like physical and sexual abuse. But they are profound experiences that can disrupt the development of healthy emotional and psychological bonds, often leading to long-term consequences in mental health. These experiences may occur in childhood or even later in…
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Trauma Informed Yoga
In another post, I discussed how some people have spent most of their lives not living in their bodies, a sense of being “unembodied.” Possibly they ignore signals of hunger or pain or pleasure. One way to gently become “embodied” is through the practice of trauma informed yoga. I wanted to share a short video with you – Bessell van der…
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Parenting when you have a trauma history
I remember how healing it was to have my first child. I went through PTSD and had difficulty bonding, but I held him, nursed him, basically he was in my arms 24/7 because he cried so hard when I put him down. Then one day, the world had color – like the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” I fell madly,…
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A Playlist of Short Resources for Mothers!
Here’s a short and sweet post – a list of 15 SHORT podcasts to listen to to support and encourage you in your role as a parent. Titles include “What can the pandemic teach us about what working moms need?” and “2-Minute Pandemic Self-Care Reflection, feat. Season of Love Lyrics” (come on just take a couple of minutes and do…
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Pandemic Resources for Mom (well for anytime!)
On this Mother’s Day, I’ve included a somewhat diverse set of imagery depicting mothers and children. But is it truly representative of our experience of motherhood? I couldn’t find images showing mothers trying to juggle working from home and managing online schooling. I couldn’t find mothers comforting crying children, or mothers in the middle of the night after a day…
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Addiction, Anxiety, attachment, Coping Skills, COVID, Depression, Mindfulness, Postnatal, Pregnancy, Somatic, Trauma
I can say NO? No Way! – Boundaries
How did you feel after you read through this list? Or did the title of the blog post simply kind of blow your mind off? The graphic above has some great prompts to think about when you are trying to establish some healthy boundaries. When we have grown up in homes where there was substance abuse, mental health struggles, financial…
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Three Kinds of “Freeze” Response
If you have been reading much about PTSD or trauma, you have probably come across the term: Fight, Flight, Freeze (well, there’s a 4th F, Fawn and I’ll talk about that at another time.) When we’re going along with our lives and all of the sudden something happens, like we’re taking a walk in the woods and we see motion…
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ACT, Addiction, Anxiety, Coping Skills, Depression, Mindfulness, Postnatal, Pregnancy, Relationships, Trauma
FACE COVID – An ACT Approach
I thought this was an incredibly helpful video that incorporates a number of key concepts of Acceptance and Attachment Therapy, ACT. Being mindful of what’s going on inside you now, committed action, being open to all the emotions that may rise up when we think and feel our thoughts about how COVID has and is affecting our lives, values –…
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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…
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More about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Handling Emotions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29ptSuoWRc I love Acceptance and Commitment Therapy because it is filled with metaphors instead of worksheets. For the way my brain works, a metaphor “sticks” and I’m much likely to access a positive coping skill if I’ve learned it as a metaphor. So, how many times have you found yourself filled to the top with thoughts and feelings that you…