Unpacking Emotional Baggage and Helpful Coping Mechanisms
DEI professional Shaquiea Sykes gets tired carrying around all the emotional baggage of depression; in her essay, she talks about setting it down.
Tag: trauma
Don’t Project Your Grief. Live it Intensely. How DBT’s Radical Acceptance Helps Me Through My Grief
To move forward in life after the loss of her mother, Daniela Silva had to radically accept the world as it was—a lesson she learned in dialectical behavioral therapy.
Tommy Horsey: Modeling Vulnerability
Tommy Horsey started the Instagram account @vulnerbul_ to encourage Black males to talk about their mental health.
Integration; My Final Stage of Healing from Dissociative Identity Disorder
Shirley Davis is never alone; there are alters living within her, other beings and voices, the result of her dissociative identity disorder.
Highs and Lows; Navigating Life with CPTSD
This is the story of Martha Githui, who was diagnosed in 2020 with complex PTSD (CPTSD), which is often the result of repeated, prolonged exposure to traumatic incidents/situations.
Revisited: An Orphan’s Memorial to Her Dying Mother
Touching animated interview with psychotherapist Sheri Heller about her journey with her mother, Pearl, who lived with schizophrenia.
How Throwing Out the Script to My Sleep Routine Helped Cure My Insomnia
This mental health recovery story focuses on Lauren, who was overwhelmed by life and all its challenges fell into patterns of insomnia and anxiety. Read more to learn about her journey.
Bringing Both Feet in – Love & Mental Health
Kavita Sarmah lives with PTSD and believes that therapy and self-work was the key to help her be open to the prospect of love, marriage, and recovery.
James Church: Immortal Dark Manga and Mental Health
A film about IMMORTAL DARK, a Black supernatural martial arts manga that blends two of James Church’s lifetime passions—Japanese manga and mental health.
Finding Self-Love When Surrounded By Abusive Voices
After a childhood in Nigeria where no one would take Precious Minaseidiema’s cries seriously, Precious took stock of all her sources of unhappiness, and did away with the ones she could.
Revisited: A Police Officer’s Tango with PTSD and Complex Trauma
Argentine tango helped police officer Ed Pila recover from secondary trauma and PTSD.
Corporal Punishment as a Barrier to Intimacy, Letting go of Shame
Corporal punishment is falling out of fashion, thankfully, for Jacques Damhuis writes beautifully about its long-lasting, damaging impact.
Trauma Under the Bridge | Trauma Recovery Short Film Revisited
Short film that shows the Sharon Wise’s journey from trauma, abuse and addiction to hope, healing and connection.
The Plight of the One-Person Mental Health Support System
by E. A. Devine
As the daughter of a victim of sexual abuse, Elizabeth Devine has had to endure her own trauma as well as take on the traumatic experiences of others; today she writes about her own challenges.
Victory Over Suicidal Tendencies: Fostering the Human Connection
by Amy Parker
This mental health recovery story focuses on Amy’s journey with intergenerational trauma, suicidality and addiction. Amy eventually found support that helped her to heal, read more here!
Following Childhood & Adult Suicide Attempts: A Vow to Get Better
Like so many people who try to take their own lives, Sandra Stevens came from trauma; wishing she had never been born. She took many steps to achieve the desire to stay in this world; this is her story.
“What’s Wrong with You?” — the Question Trauma Asks
For his whole life, Jacques Damhuis was confronted with, “What’s wrong with you?” After decades of self-discovery, and some EMDR, he is learning that the answer is “nothing.”
Was I the Black Sheep? Discovering, Understanding and Healing my Trauma and CPTSD
by Ana Isabel Carballada Rivero
This mental health recovery story focuses on Ana’s journey with Complex PTSD, and intergenerational trauma. Ana eventually cut ties with family to begin her healing journey. Read to learn more about how Ana learned to ask for help and recover from trauma.
Back on Track: Recovering from Mental Illness and Addiction
After ten years of fighting a wrenching addiction to heroin, Stacey Anne Quin is winning herself back from the brink of mental illness and addiction.
Throw Pillows and Coffee Mugs: Accoutrements of Trauma, Abuse, and Recovery
Alan Caldwell has been collecting stories about his history of abuse and trauma and family for years, but only recently begun writing them down.