EMDR was developed as an evidence-based treatment for trauma that has gone unprocessed. You can read more about the basics of EMDR here. When it comes to religious trauma, EMDR can offer meaningful relief after years of triggers, overwhelm, and a dysregulated nervous system. 

Self-care is an essential component of any therapeutic process, and it's particularly important in couples therapy. There is a reason why flight attendants on airplanes instruct you to put on your own oxygen mask first before helping anyone else. If you aren’t able to take care of your well-being, you won’t be in any position to help anyone else.

Trauma-informed couples therapy is a therapeutic approach that takes into account the impact of past trauma on your current relationships and behaviors. It recognizes that trauma can affect your ability to trust, communicate, and connect with others, and seeks to address these challenges in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. Here are some potential benefits of trauma-informed couples therapy:

If you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you know by now that we have been closely watching the Depp/Heard trial unfold, and Amber Heard’s diagnoses have us all talking a little more about personality disorders. Let’s start off by defining what Borderline Personality Disorder is.

Religious communities should be our safest emotional and physical spaces. These groups often talk about creating safety and salvation for those seeking such, but these spaces can quickly become toxic, abusive, and traumatizing.  

Gaslighting is one of those terms that we hear often in the mental health world today.  It is a common tool narcissists will use to control those around them and is an oh-too-common occurrence when discussing emotional manipulation.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that causes the victim to question their sanity, their instincts, or their perception of events. You’ve probably experienced it, even if you didn’t have the words to describe what was happening to you.

My favorite thing to do is to stop toxicity and abuse in its tracks by empowering folks to see emotional manipulation from a mile away. Are you ready? Here are the ways to protect yourself from emotional manipulation:

By now, you’ve probably seen the show MAID pop up on your Netflix suggestions. You might have even watched it and it gave you a lot to think about. Maid points out some incredibly important nuances to how abusive relationships and domestic violence play out for those attempting to escape. Let’s talk through the important things that happened over the series that helps you understand what you are going through or what others might suffer when trying to escape.

One of the most obvious and painful parts of religious trauma is the sexual repression that is often baked into the theology, dogma, or rules of our religious communities. Because sexuality is such a personal and unavoidable part of the human experience, those that are repressed tend to feel traumatized by their identities being denied and “in the name of God.”

It’s sometimes hard to imagine how the church and religious communities that teach love and compassion can become abusive and harmful.  But any institution, when power structures go unchecked and the “message” becomes more important than the people, is vulnerable to becoming harmful, rather than helpful.  This typically happens slowly over time and can be hard to see when you are inside the community.  

If you have experienced trauma symptoms after an upsetting or life-threatening medical event, Medical PTSD might be an appropriate label for your experience.