Grief is a normal human response to the pain of losing someone. It can be brutal, anguished, disorienting, maddening, enraging, and lonely. But ultimately, people do emerge from grief. They may feel forever changed; however, they do find meaning in their lives again. Those difficult feelings eventually make way for…
Your abuser does not get to define the rest of your life. You can know this intellectually, but it’s a whole different beast to know it in your body. People who experience sexual assault might internalize their fear and trauma so they continue to feel unsafe in their skin. They…
Trigger warning: This content might be triggering or traumatizing to survivors of sexual assault or other forms of violence. It might also be disturbing or upsetting to some readers. First and foremost, sexual assault is never the survivor’s fault. This is the most important piece of information, ahead of understanding…
It’s estimated that more than 50 million adults in America will experience some form of mental health condition in their lifetimes. That’s around 20% of the entire adult population of the United States. In addition, a recent Pew Research study found that, though self-reported religious affiliation rates have declined in…
It is entirely natural to experience a range of emotions after a traumatic event. Most people recover from these initial reactions and feelings within a few weeks. However, if you have ongoing problems, there could be something else going on, like PTSD. PTSD isn’t talked about enough. Not many people…
The experience of being pregnant can be transformative for your body, mind, and spirit. Physically, you might feel different as you deal with morning sickness, tender breasts, and fatigue. Emotionally, you may start to see your surroundings through the eyes of your future child. Your relationship with your partner might…
Child therapists know that children grieve differently from adults, and they also understand how a child’s unique grieving process might be overlooked in the midst of significant loss. Children who experience the death of someone close to them are often surrounded by adult suffering. They might not want to burden…
An abusive relationship can absolutely lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To understand why this is, it is first important to understand what trauma does to the brain and how it can impact one’s mental and physical wellbeing. Understanding Relationship PTSD and Its Impact Trauma can be defined as…
Nothing prepares us for the devastating loss of a loved one – whether it was clear that their time was coming to an end or it was a complete shock. The grief that comes with the death of a friend or family member is overwhelming. And it doesn’t go away…
Spirituality often varies in definition and in practice—however, it’s ultimately about connecting to something greater than ourselves to live a happier life. Doing so can help us cope during difficult times, which means spirituality can prove important to addiction recovery. Those in addiction recovery (and others) can practice spirituality and…
We all cope differently with our struggles, but an effective, lesser-known method is humor. Humor can help us be more resilient when life doesn’t go our way; it enables us to make light of our situation and in the process even moderate the severity of a mental health condition. For…
Abuse—be it physical, emotional, mental—is a distressing experience. One that often has many short-term and long-term effects on those who fall victim to it. So, in short, an abusive relationship can change you in a lot of ways. But that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for healing from the abuse…