All posts tagged: Trauma

Lebanon’s children face physical, psychological trauma amid Israel’s war | Israel attacks Lebanon News

Lebanon’s children face physical, psychological trauma amid Israel’s war | Israel attacks Lebanon News

Published by Sam Flores

Beirut, Lebanon – Four-year-old Malaika was in her home in southern Lebanon’s Mayfadoun when Israel’s bombs began to hit on March 2. Malaika’s mother made an immediate attempt to flee, knowing that more attacks were likely. She grabbed Malaika and her younger sister Sara, putting the latter in the back seat of her car, and Malaika in the front passenger seat. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The mother sat in the driver’s seat. Then a strike hit near the car. Malaika woke up in a hospital hours later, with burns on her forehead and damage to her left eye that hospital staff say will require surgery. Sara was also wounded, but not as badly as Malaika. However, their mother – who the family did not wish to name for privacy reasons – was killed in the strike. In her last act while alive, she had used her body to protect Malaika. Almost 1,000 children wounded Israel intensified its war on Lebanon on March 2, launching attacks that came after Hezbollah had responded …

‘Traces of Home’ tracks trauma of Palestinian Mexican family, attracts Melissa Barrera

‘Traces of Home’ tracks trauma of Palestinian Mexican family, attracts Melissa Barrera

Published by Sam Flores

Before her film “Traces of Home” played to a sold-out crowd at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre as part of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, director Colette Ghunim led the audience in a therapeutic breathing exercise. Given the content of her movie, the 34-year-old filmmaker — who is working on getting a certificate in somatic coaching — feels it’s necessary to be in a clear mental space before watching it. “Traces of Home” follows Ghunim as she travels with her family to her father’s homeland of Palestine and mother’s native Mexico for the first time since both parents were forcibly displaced decades ago. Her father’s family was forced to leave the Palestinian city of Safed in 1948 during the Nakba, in which 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes to make way for the establishment of the burgeoning state of Israel. Her mother’s family left Mexico to flee from the abusive nature of her maternal grandfather. Beyond investigating the political and personal experiences that shaped her parents, Ghunim turns inward to examine how those …

My ‘Soulmate’ Relationship Was Really Just A Trauma Bond

My ‘Soulmate’ Relationship Was Really Just A Trauma Bond

Published by Jenni Sidey

My relationship with Brad had felt like a bullet going off. A tiny fire in an enclosed space that could change a life in a fraction of a second. In a brief period of dating, I’d gotten engaged, withdrawn from college in another state, moved in with my new fiancé, and been ghosted by my parents. It all seemed worth it, though, because Brad and I were “soulmates.” This was a stars-aligned, once-in-a-lifetime, meant-to-be love. We’d had the kind of connection I’d only dreamed of having with another, and I changed my entire life to make it work. Who cares what the cost is when it’s true love?  Until it no longer felt like true love. Our “passionate” love began to be peppered with “passionate” fights, in which “passionate” was just a nice way of saying “abusive.” I was ashamed of how and how often we fought, confused too, because why did this soulmate relationship sometimes feel so painful? My soulmate relationship was really just a trauma bond Blake Cheek / Unsplash+ A trauma bond forms when you confuse …

The Stories Trauma Therapists Carry in Silence

The Stories Trauma Therapists Carry in Silence

Published by Jenni Sidey

This morning, after logging off an international consultation session with a clinician treating complex trauma and dissociation, I headed to one of my favorite local coffee shops and sat down to write. As I drank my latte, I found myself reflecting on something I have been thinking about a great deal lately: gratitude. Gratitude for the role I once held as a trauma therapist. Gratitude for the years I spent sitting across from survivors carrying extraordinary pain. Gratitude for the trust people placed in me with the most vulnerable parts of their lives. And also gratitude for knowing when it was time to pivot. Today, my work centers on international speaking, consultation, education, and transformational spaces rather than direct psychotherapy. But after 24 years in the mental health field, particularly after 2020, I began recognizing something honestly and without shame: I could reach and support more people in a more sustainable way through consulting with providers and speaking internationally than continuing to sit directly across from patients myself. That realization did not come easily. I …

Trauma survivor Elizabeth Smart finds strength in bodybuilding : NPR

Trauma survivor Elizabeth Smart finds strength in bodybuilding : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Elizabeth Smart says she has gained confidence as a competitive bodybuilder. She continues to be an advocate for women and victims of sexual violence after she was kidnapped when she was 14. Kim Raff for NPR hide caption toggle caption Kim Raff for NPR The first time Elizabeth Smart stepped on stage at a bodybuilding competition, she was terrified. She says her smile froze. Her hands shook. Every movement had been choreographed and practiced over and over again, down to the turns and poses she would hit beneath the bright stage lights. But there was only so much she could do to prepare for the pageantry. Unlike in training, she was wearing oversized costume jewelry, including a large ring. The blonde hair extensions were new, too. Then, as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, the ring snagged one of the extensions. “I just ended up ripping through the extension and just taking out a chunk of my hair, and then turning around and smiling,” she says, laughing about it now. At the time, she …

9 Quiet Signs Someone You Love Had A Seriously Painful Childhood

9 Quiet Signs Someone You Love Had A Seriously Painful Childhood

Published by Jenni Sidey

You can’t just come out and ask someone if they had a traumatic childhood, but there are a few quiet signs you can look for. They aren’t always obvious, but they can be a secret insight into what someone has overcome in order to become the person they are today.  Childhood trauma can affect people’s health and overall well-being for their entire lives, so these signs can offer important context. That way you can offer more empathy and even better support when appropriate. Or, if you relate to this yourself, you can work to heal and have compassion for yourself.  9 quiet signs someone you love had a seriously painful childhood 1. They’re hyper-aware of everyone else’s mood and emotions Wayhome Studio | Shutterstock Hyper-vigilance is a defense mechanism for children in unstable home environments, as they often need to look outside of themselves to gauge their safety and comfort with the people around them. Whether it was figuring out their parents’ moods or understanding the climate of their living room before entering, they weren’t …

When Trauma Responses Show Up as Overprotective Parenting

When Trauma Responses Show Up as Overprotective Parenting

Published by Jenni Sidey

Destiny came to therapy struggling with debilitating anxiety, frequent migraines, and relentless insomnia. But what finally prompted her to seek help wasn’t just her physical symptoms—it was the rising tension between her and her husband as they prepared to send their oldest daughter off to college. “I never had the chance to go to college,” she told me the first day. “My dad was gone. My mother could barely take care of herself. Someone had to stay behind and take care of my younger siblings.” As she spoke, it became clear that Destiny had spent much of her childhood in a caregiving role. While other kids were focused on school, friendships, and planning for their futures, she was focused on survival and responsibility. Now, years later, she found herself intensely involved in every detail of her daughter’s college transition. Her husband, on the other hand, took a more relaxed approach. To Destiny, his attitude felt baffling—and frightening. “I don’t understand why he’s so uninvolved,” she said. “This is such a big deal.” But beneath that …

Purity culture exposure linked to higher sexual shame in trauma survivors

Purity culture exposure linked to higher sexual shame in trauma survivors

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in The Journal of Sex Research suggests that exposure to strict religious sexual teachings can increase feelings of sexual shame, particularly for people who have survived sexual violence. The findings indicate that both childhood exposure to and adult acceptance of purity culture messages uniquely contribute to how individuals view themselves sexually after a nonconsensual experience. This research highlights the deep impact that specific religious scripts can have on psychological recovery and sexual well-being. Scientists Anna Grace C. Coates, a clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin, and Cindy M. Meston conducted the new study to better understand how religious messaging influences recovery from sexual trauma. Sexual shame is a well-documented outcome of nonconsensual sexual experiences. It is defined as a deep sense of inadequacy regarding one’s sexual identity, desires, and experiences. Prior research indicates that feelings of sexual inferiority can severely impact a person’s future sexual health and overall psychological well-being. However, the specific role of religious environments in shaping these feelings remains relatively underexplored. Most previous …

Depression appears to alter how young adults remember childhood trauma and adversity

Depression appears to alter how young adults remember childhood trauma and adversity

Published by José Betancourt

Experiencing depressive symptoms can change how young adults remember the hardships of their youth, leading them to report more past traumas over time. Dealing with these emotional health challenges might actually be the primary driver behind shifting memories, pointing to a need to treat current mood to help heal past wounds. The research was published in Nature Mental Health. Mental health professionals recognize that difficult events in childhood play a major role in later psychological struggles. Abuse, physical neglect, and family instability regularly precede mood disorders in adolescents and young adults. Traumatic situations can alter normal biological responses, keeping stress hormones like cortisol elevated and impairing the development of brain regions that handle emotional regulation. Over time, this biological wear and tear leaves a person highly susceptible to future stress. Psychologists suspect that current moods might also influence how people look back on their lives. When a person feels low, they might be more likely to focus on negative events from their past. The theory of emotional regulation suggests that human feelings guide the way …

Brain scans reveal how ibogaine alters neural networks in veterans with head trauma

Brain scans reveal how ibogaine alters neural networks in veterans with head trauma

Published by José Betancourt

Special Operations veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder experienced notable improvements in their symptoms after a single dose of the psychoactive drug ibogaine. Brain scans revealed that the therapy was associated with persistent increases in cerebral blood flow and the widespread reorganization of neural networks. The research was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. Sudden blows to the head or intense blast exposures cause traumatic brain injuries. Combat zones expose soldiers to blast waves that send immense pressure through the skull, which can stretch or shear delicate nerve fibers. Chronic effects include severe anxiety, depression, and a reduced capacity to perform routine tasks. Special Operations forces veterans experience incredibly high rates of both brain injuries and stress disorders compared to the civilian population. Standard medical treatments rely heavily on regular talk therapy and symptom management medications. Many veterans do not find relief through these traditional routes. New, restorative medical approaches are actively sought by health agencies to help former service members regain their independence. Derived from a …