All posts tagged: Trauma

If You Grew Up In A Chronically Unstable Home, You Likely Deal With 11 Issues On A Daily Basis

If You Grew Up In A Chronically Unstable Home, You Likely Deal With 11 Issues On A Daily Basis

Published by Jenni Sidey

Growing up in a chronically unstable home leaves invisible scars that follow you into adulthood, affecting everything from your relationships to your daily anxiety levels. When your childhood was filled with unpredictable emotions, walking on eggshells, and toxic family dynamics, your developing brain learned survival patterns that no longer serve you as an adult. According to research published in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly, children raised in unstable environments are more likely to experience poor mental health and delayed emotional development that continues long after they leave home. The effects of childhood instability don’t just disappear when you turn 18. They show up in subtle ways throughout your adult life. Whether it’s feeling anxious for no apparent reason, struggling to set healthy boundaries, or finding yourself in chaotic situations that feel strangely familiar, these patterns are your nervous system’s attempt to cope with early trauma. Recognizing these signs is important to understanding why you react the way you do and taking the first steps toward healing the parts of yourself that are still stuck …

Scientists reveal the biological pathways linking childhood trauma to chronic gut pain

Scientists reveal the biological pathways linking childhood trauma to chronic gut pain

Published by José Betancourt

Two recent studies published in Gastroenterology provide evidence that events in early life shape the long-term health of the gut and brain. The research suggests that early stress and fetal exposure to certain medications increase the risk of digestive and mood disorders. Together, these findings point to new ways to treat conditions that involve both the brain and the digestive system. Disorders of gut-brain interaction are digestive conditions that often occur alongside mood disorders like anxiety and depression. These conditions affect up to 40 percent of people worldwide and include issues like irritable bowel syndrome and functional constipation. Scientists recognize that the physical connection between the gut and brain tends to dictate how these diseases develop. “As a physician who specializes in kids with disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), I was caring for a number of children who were really suffering with symptoms (constipation, diarrhea and/or abdominal pain) so severe that they lived their lives in fear of not feeling well rather than focusing on thriving at school and enjoying friends and family, as they …

Baby Reindeer earned its darkness. Half Man is trauma porn that does not

Baby Reindeer earned its darkness. Half Man is trauma porn that does not

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Bleak. Unpleasant. Prurient. These three words, based on the opening episode alone, could be applied to Half Man, Richard Gadd’s much-hyped follow-up to Baby Reindeer, his semi-autobiographical stalker drama on Netflix. By the end of this six-part BBC/HBO drama, two more stand out: trauma porn. Never before have I seen a TV show this smugly grim – such a relentless exercise in self-punishment that even watching it feels like an act of nihilism. Spanning four decades, it’s the story of two siblings bound together by circumstance, violence and the secrets each keeps from the other. Take a scene in episode two. Hoving in with a horrific sense of foreboding, the air thick with menace, it left me gasping. Two brothers from another mother, the volatile Ruben (Stuart Campbell) and the timid Niall (Mitchell Robertson), are at the latter’s student flat. Alby …

Childhood trauma and attachment styles show nuanced links to alternative sexual preferences

Childhood trauma and attachment styles show nuanced links to alternative sexual preferences

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study explores the relationships between past traumatic experiences, how people connect with others emotionally, and their roles in consensual power exchange or pain play during sex. The research indicates that a history of sexual abuse in childhood and certain insecure emotional patterns are related to whether someone prefers submissive or dominant sexual roles. These initial results were published in the journal Behavioral Sciences. To understand these connections, it helps to examine the framework surrounding bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism. This collection of acts is commonly known by its initialism, BDSM. The practice involves consensual power exchanges and the erotic expression of physical sensations, which can include the receipt or delivery of pain. These behaviors typically feature three primary roles. A dominant partner takes control, a submissive partner relinquishes control, and a “switch” alternates between the two positions depending on the scenario. Consent is a foundational requirement, distinguishing these behaviors entirely from violence or assault. Communities centered around these practices often rely on established safety frameworks, such as the strict principle of safe, …

Can psychedelics help trauma survivors reconnect intimately?

Can psychedelics help trauma survivors reconnect intimately?

Published by José Betancourt

Researchers examining the intimate lives of trauma survivors have found that psychedelics have varied effects on communication and emotional connection during sexual encounters. A recent global analysis indicated that women who associated psychedelics with healing from sexual trauma reported better intimate communication than men with similar trauma histories. The findings were published in The Journal of Sex Research. Scientists are increasingly investigating substances like psilocybin, ayahuasca, and lysergic acid diethylamide to treat mental health conditions. These specific drugs interact with the serotonin system in the brain to alter perception and emotional regulation. By disrupting rigid patterns of thought, these substances can theoretically enhance emotional openness and interpersonal awareness. When a person ingests a psychedelic, the substance modulates connectivity between key regions of the brain. This includes areas associated with self-referential thought and deep emotional processing. By interrupting normal functional connectivity, a person’s traditional cognitive boundaries temporarily soften. This specific mental state can encourage an unexpected reappraisal of deep-seated fears and interpersonal dynamics. Many survivors of sexual violence experience lasting disruptions to their physiological and emotional …

Reparative Experiences in Relational Trauma Recovery

Reparative Experiences in Relational Trauma Recovery

Published by Jenni Sidey

This post is part 1 of a series. We all know that relational trauma has far-reaching consequences that extend well into adulthood. Research has shown that childhood experiences, particularly adverse ones, are not just fleeting memories; they leave a lasting, tangible imprint on the brain’s architecture and functioning. Those of us who live through adverse experiences and whose brain architecture changes as a result often develop toxic stress responses, perceiving even benign experiences as life-threatening, which can further manifest in a range of maladaptive social and behavioral coping skills with subsequent health consequences. Therefore, our adult health and well-being can still be impacted by events, perceptions, and experiences that took place decades ago. Obviously, getting the right kind of help to address the impacts of childhood trauma experiences is critical—and certainly, foremost among the preferred help modalities is trauma-focused therapy. EMDR, TF-CBT, and other gold-standard trauma therapies are extraordinary modalities and interventions for childhood trauma recovery work. But I do want to suggest that reparative experiences—both inside and outside the therapy room—can also play a …

When Trauma Awareness Stops at the Hospital Door

When Trauma Awareness Stops at the Hospital Door

Published by Jenni Sidey

While healthcare systems have made significant advances in recent years, they continue to trail behind in attending to psychological and emotional well-being. This gap affects not only patients living with a health condition but also the professionals tasked with their care. Despite clear evidence that chronic illness increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, healthcare delivery remains largely governed by a narrow medical gaze—one that prioritises survival and symptom management while sidelining human experience. The consequences are increasingly visible. Reports of burnout, moral injury, and compassion fatigue among healthcare staff now sit alongside growing concerns about disempowering and dehumanising patient care. Routine practices, such as prolonged waiting, restrictive hospital gowns, and limited access to personal medical information, persist despite their well-documented links to helplessness and trauma-related distress. Hospital environments themselves often remain noisy, impersonal, and poorly aligned with recovery, psychological safety, and age-appropriate or neuro-affirmative care. For children, the stakes are even higher. Medical procedures can disrupt essential developmental needs for safety, connection, and play. Practices such as clinical restraint may be experienced as …

A Mom Forgot Who Her Daughter Was After Losing Her Memory But Still Felt The Maternal Urge To Protect Her

A Mom Forgot Who Her Daughter Was After Losing Her Memory But Still Felt The Maternal Urge To Protect Her

Published by Jenni Sidey

Every parent has an innate desire to make sure their children are safe at all times. We worry about where they are going, who they are with, and what outside influences might come their way. Finding out your child may be in danger is a terror only a parent can relate to. For a woman named Nesh Pillay, that extreme anxiety is something she has to deal with much more than anyone else could ever imagine. Pillay, 32, was confused and scared when she recently woke up from a nap, unable to remember anything.  Pillay told Newsweek in October 2022 that she told family members she had bumped her head before deciding to take a nap. Though Pillay cannot remember the incident, it is what preceded the deterioration of her memory.  She has suffered numerous incidents of trauma to her brain over her lifetime, the first occurring during a car accident when she was just nine years old. Since then, according to Pillay, she has had multiple head injuries resulting in concussions. Pillay found herself …

What ‘trauma bonding’ really means – and why it’s often misunderstood

What ‘trauma bonding’ really means – and why it’s often misunderstood

Published by Sam Flores

As a young girl, Lilli Correll both loved and feared her mother. In good times, she felt special – her mother affectionately called her Monkey, and they often laughed together. “I was her favourite child,” said Correll, now 55 and living in Austin, Texas. But at other times her mother, who had bipolar disorder, would abruptly turn violent, once throwing Correll against a wall and threatening to murder her, she said. Despite the abuse Correll found herself drawn to her mother, only to be rejected again and again. That dynamic would go on to repeat itself in Correll’s marriage, which was emotionally abusive, she said. It wasn’t until she was in her 40s that she discovered, with the help of therapy, that she had formed a trauma bond with her abusers. Lately the phrase “trauma bond” has been used online to describe the connection that can grow out of sharing a difficult experience with someone. Videos on TikTok refer to “trauma-bonded besties who overshare” and “trauma bonding instead of going to therapy.” But when it …

Brain Injury May Reverse Pre-Injury Trauma Work

Brain Injury May Reverse Pre-Injury Trauma Work

Published by Jenni Sidey

Trauma seems to co-occur with brain injury. How can it not when brain injury devastates almost every part of one’s life? I researched and devoted a portion of my book, Brain Injury, Trauma, and Grief: How to Heal When You Are Alone, to discussing trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder, in relation to brain injury. The following is an adapted excerpt on this topic from my book. Pre-Brain Injury Wounds and Traumas Reanimate Like what happened with me, your brain injury may have disconnected your pre-injury memories from your emotions, and thus undone any trauma work you may have done before your injury. When emotions return, the now-unhealed memories upthrust a tsunami of traumas that you hadn’t thought about in years. They lash against your mind, making you feel out of time. Confusion piles on top of flashbacks, and chaos results. Acknowledge Traumas Being Unhealed To re-heal these pre-injury wounds, you and your therapist will need to acknowledge this strange unhealing and work together to reconnect the memories with the emotions. Strategies, medications, and rest will …