Triggers vs “Triggered”: Trauma Triggers and Modern Language Shifts
It’s normal to feel upset, anxious, or extremely uncomfortable when we encounter difficult content. Having a strong reaction to information that is generally considered troubling …
Although research on protest and despair has traditionally centered on the experiences of infants and young children, humans continue to respond to crisis with protest, despair, (and detachment) throughout our lives. Unlike infants, adults have years of experience that tells us that one method or the other does a better job of getting our needs met or protecting us from further harm, and over time that method becomes our patterned response.
It’s normal to feel upset, anxious, or extremely uncomfortable when we encounter difficult content. Having a strong reaction to information that is generally considered troubling …
Asking if someone is suicidal won’t give them ideas, but it may help them feel less alone. A 2014 meta-analysis (that’s a study that …
The best time to do good crisis work is when you (or your client, child, partner, friend, etc) aren’t currently in crisis. Take some time …
Traditional DBT helps develop emotion regulation and impulse control in people who struggle in these areas, but Radically Open (RO) DBT is an adaptation of …
Even before the pandemic, working from home presented unique challenges to the work-life balance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges have become even more pronounced, …
In the simplest terms: burnout occurs when the stress we experience exceeds our capacity to cope with that stress. While some individuals may be able …
It’s not uncommon for adult siblings to hold very different opinions from one another about the personality of the parents they shared when they were …
Recently, my illustrations have been exploring Chronic Stress and Burnout. One way of understanding this slow process of burning out is through the concept of …
Can we take a moment to collectively acknowledge how hard this is right now? With everything going on, we need people more than ever, but …
Shortly after completing my Mindful Grounding Activity Card deck, I had an idea for an emotion card deck, each card containing an evocative abstract …
Healthy groups allow every member to express their individuality without that difference being seen by other group members as a threat. That’s differentiation. In a …
Last month, my patrons helped me collaborate on creating this new resource: a pizza-themed feelings wheel for kids. Via the Patreon community, Patrons got …
This simple illustration is meant to be a visual representation of something that can be kind of hard to understand about therapy: it’s …
If you aren’t naming and breaking the cycles that have entangled you, you are participating in them. This is true in most systems we are …
Even as someone who has studied trauma therapy for years, I often find it difficult to describe just how trauma therapy works and …
It’s not always this simple, but *sometimes* it is: shifts in how we respond to intrusive thoughts from PTSD or anxiety can shape our internal …
None of us really know what it looks like to survive and thrive beyond a global pandemic. Thankfully, past government funding for research about disaster …