When I first invited Steve to share his story, I had two reasons. Like my father, he had spent decades trapped in an abusive marriage — but unlike my father, he finally got out. And at the time, he was undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression, a major step in his own hope …
The Brain That Tried to Die: Hope Circuitry and Trauma Recovery Read More »
“They told me gaining 60 pounds in a month was ‘within the realm of normal.’”That’s what Gwen was told after she begged for answers. She ate one meal a day. She returned to the doctor again and again, insisting something was wrong. But like so many trauma survivors misdiagnosed by doctors, she was told her …
“Your Labs Are Normal”: How Doctors Are Misdiagnosing Trauma Survivors Read More »
We hear of the domestic violence victim who stays or keeps going back to their abuser. And until we understand coercive control, we will keep asking, Why can’t they just leave? We are asking the wrong question. The victim is free to leave at any time in the physical sense. But coercive control is psychological …
Coercive Control is the Reason They Can’t “Just Leave” Read More »
Depersonalization is a deadened emotional state. It’s an abrupt disconnection from the Self because we feel detached from our thoughts, feelings, and our own bodies. We feel like an outside observer watching someone else walking around in our bodies and making decisions for us. And they aren’t always actions we would normally choose, if only …
Depersonalization: The Emotional Flatline Read More »
The ACG (Anterior Cingulate Gyrus) is the brain’s gear shift. It shifts between our thoughts and feelings and transitions us from task to task. The Basal Ganglia (BG) is the brain’s pleasure awareness. But more than that, it determines how much energy and focus we give to each task. So, the Basal Ganglia is the …
ACG and Basal Ganglia: The Brain’s Control Panel Read More »
The vagus nerve is the longest and most complex nerve in the body. It acts as the link between our bodies and the faces and voices of people around us. So, we can see it as the biology of safety versus danger as members of a tribe. Because believe it or not, our biological science …
The Vagus Nerve and its VVC and DVC Explained Read More »
Whenever I conclude a series, I like to create visual aids that include links to each article. A one-stop “at-a-glance” review. Each visual aid includes the link to the article that expanded on it. This way, you get the main points while deciding for yourself if you need more information. Well, this time we have …
Hormone Charts Compilation in 7 Visual Aids Read More »
The internet gaslighters are encouraging a new generation of enablers. They have been weaving a fantasy world for some time. And it goes something like this. First they describe Cluster B disordered (Trauma Glossary 1) behaviors as nothing more than a trauma response. “Those poor abusers were once, themselves abused! Don’t you feel sorry for …
The Biological Science of Enablers Read More »
In this series, we’ve been using charts of what happens when each hormone is too low, (deficient) when it’s ideal, and when it’s too high. That way you get to see the overall arc of what’s going on in succession. Two weeks ago, we focused on the four most relevant stress hormones. Then last week, …
Social Bonding Hormones: From Low, Ideal, to High Read More »
What is the parasympathetic nerve? It’s half of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). (Section 2 of Trauma Glossary 3.) The other half is the sympathetic nerve, which is our stress, or fight or flight response. So, the parasympathetic nerve acts as the “brakes” to the stress response. The balance (or imbalance) hinges on our hormone …
Parasympathetic Nerve Hormones: From Deficient, to Ideal, to High Read More »
