How Trauma Affects Relationships

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How Trauma Affects Relationships

Have you ever seen a new home? Everything feels fresh and full of possibilities. There’s excitement about making it your own. But as with any new house, the foundation goes through a process of settling. The soil underneath tightens and shifts, causing the house to slowly reach its final position. This is normal, but it can lead to small cracks in walls, uneven floors, or doors that don’t close properly. Most of the time, this settling stops on its own. However, if the house settles too much or unevenly, it can lead to bigger problems, requiring repairs to keep it stable. When this happens, homeowners can feel frustrated and discouraged about their once-exciting new home.

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Mental Health and Service To Country

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Mental Health and Service To Country

As we celebrate Veteran’s Day (and the Marine Corps birthday!), let’s pause and address the mental health implications of service to country.  Those who serve in our armed forces signed on the dotted line, pledging their time, life, and limb.  Their family members, on the other hand, do not make this choice.  The mental health implications for the military member and their family deserve to be talked about.

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4 Ways To Develop Emotional Awareness

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4 Ways To Develop Emotional Awareness

When traveling a year ago, I saw someone wearing a t-shirt that said, “Emotions Destroy Everything”.  Oh boy.  This made me and those who I was traveling with laugh because we all could relate a little too well.  When thinking about feeling emotion, it honestly seems easier to just not let yourself feel. Feeling emotion takes time, energy, is messy, and can really feel just plain down uncomfortable.  It seems easier to just push the emotions away, to push them down or push them out.  They seem more like a nuisance than helpful.  This may be how you feel too.  But do emotions really destroy everything?  Let’s take a minute to explore this.

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4 Ways To Build A Healthy Identity

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4 Ways To Build A Healthy Identity

It’s no lie that we are born a “blank slate”. As we grow and develop, we begin to identify who we are and what makes us, us. Our true identity is discovered prior to fostering relationships with others, having children, and beginning our careers. The unfortunate thing that occurs is that we often lose focus of our own true identity once these different life aspects happen for us. We find that our identity will adapt to our environment and sometimes we often mold our identity to fit into the life we work on creating as time marches on. As we age and our children leave the home, friends come and go, relationships begin and end, it’s important that we take time to return to focusing on our true identity as individuals to ensure we don’t lose sight of ourselves.

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The Importance and Impact of Inner Child Work

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The Importance and Impact of Inner Child Work

Inner child work is a therapeutic approach known for its remarkable ability to heal emotional wounds, inspire self-compassion, and promote psychological growth. As a trauma- informed and culturally competent therapist, I frequently incorporate inner child work into my sessions to help clients connect with their previous traumas, understand how these events influence their current behavior, and feel empowered to create a better future. Continue reading to understand more about the significance of inner child work, its impact on healing, and how to approach it in a way that is culturally and individually appropriate.

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