Category: PTSD/Trauma

Illustration of psychological trauma multicolored silhouette of a person's side profile with dark silhouette behind it

Understanding Trauma Types: Acute, Chronic and Complex

Trauma is a nearly inevitable part of the human experience. Studies suggest that approximately 90% of people experience at least one traumatic event during their lifetimes, and exposure to multiple traumas is common (1).  While the experience of trauma is almost universal, the way trauma affects us—our moods, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—is much harder to

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Minorities & Mental Health Treatment: Recognizing the Gaps

Mental illness knows no boundaries. It does not discriminate. There is no single picture of what mental illness looks like; anyone can experience mental health struggles no matter who they are or where they come from in life. Conditions affect people of all ages, genders, races, economic statuses, backgrounds, and identities. Although mental illness affects

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Secondary Trauma: Absorbing the Pain of Your Loved One

Experiencing a traumatic event is enough to leave anyone shaken but sometimes that shaken feeling sticks around and develops into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a truly debilitating mental health disorder that most people have heard of. But what about secondary trauma? Surviving a traumatic event directly leaves a lasting impact, however, holding space for a

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Stress

How does stress affect us?

Do you ever think about the symptoms that are associated with stress and how they may be affecting your body and your behavior? For most of us, the answer is no. But when we have that chronic headache or insomnia or lack of appetite, it could be because of our stress.

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The Difference between Type I Trauma and Type II Trauma

Trauma is a word that’s used quite liberally in everyday language, typically to identify a highly stressful event. When we refer to trauma in the clinical sense, we’re referring to an event that has completely overwhelmed an individual’s capacity to cope and this, of course, is entirely defined by the survivor. Some examples include types of childhood

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PTSD Word cloud

Do I have PTSD?

It is normal to feel stress, anger, and depression after a traumatic event, such as the recent one in Pittsburgh.  After such an event, some people may develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For some, PTSD symptoms may begin later, or may come and go over time. Of those who experience a traumatic event in their

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Understanding Trauma and PTSD

by: Yehudah Alcabes LCSW, CSAT, CASAC-G, EMDR There are several misconceptions about PTSD and trauma in general, with many associating it with combat or shell shock. People often imagine a stoic war veteran who appears frozen in time. While this is undoubtedly accurate, today, we have a deeper and more complex understanding of trauma, and it’s

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Understanding Self-Injury in the Context of Trauma and Dissociation

By: Lyndsey Karns, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist Self-injury or self-mutilation, a seemingly paradoxical coping mechanism, has been widely misunderstood by the public and to some degree by mental health and medical professionals as it relates to trauma and dissociation.  Self-injury can manifest in several forms and degrees of severity, with the object and goal to

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