One of the most difficult
features of Complex PTSD
is extreme susceptibility to
painful emotional flashbacks.
Flashbacks are painful
layers of reactions ¨C
physiological, behavioral,
cognitive, and emotional -
to the reemerging danger
and despair of childhood abandonment. This
article maps out these layered, defensive reactions
and offers a treatment strategy for managing
the depression that underlies them. Here
is a model of the layering of an emotional
flashback. read more
Growing up I sensed my
mom was happy in spite of
many struggles. I saw that
her values and appreciation
of life’s simple pleasures
played an important part.
Even so, I needed to personally
experience what
she modeled before I could
apply her wisdom to myself
and others. From a young
age I observed human nature,
always wondering, “What does it take
for a person to feel happy?” My quest for
that answer has continued.
Now, as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I
have the privilege of sitting with clients every
day who share with me the intimate details of
their lives. read more
Ned and Carla came to their
first session looking like
other successful 50-something
couples in their upper
middle class community.
They were well dressed and
socially appropriate. Their
amiable introductions belied
sadness and a sense of
failure which quickly became clear as we started
to talk. Their son, Eric, now 28 years old, had
moved back in with them again, this time
while being treated for a “detox” prescribed
by their M.D. for withdrawal from addictive
prescription drugs. As their story unfolded, I
noticed the similarities of their story with others,
now all too familiar.
read more
This paper describes a trauma typology for differentially diagnosing and treating Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This model elaborates four basic defensive structures that develop out of our instinctive Fight, Flight, Freeze and Fawn responses to severe abandonment and trauma [heretofore referred to as the 4Fs]. Variances in the childhood abuse/neglect pattern, birth order, and genetic predispositions result in individuals “choosing” and specializing in narcissistic [fight], obsessive/compulsive [flight], dissociative [freeze] or codependent [fawn] defenses. read more
It happens so fast. All it
takes is a wilting look, an
insulting tone of voice, or
a raised eyebrow. You find
yourself taking it personally
and your knee-jerk response
seems all out of proportion
to the event itself. You
wonder, “Where on earth
did that come from?”
When we take things personally we perceive
someone’s actions as a personal affront, an
insult or slight. Someone says or does something
(or neglects to say or do something)
and we find ourselves getting triggered and
overreacting. read more
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Ned and Carla came to their
first session looking like
other successful 50-something
couples in their upper
middle class community.
They were well dressed and
socially appropriate. Their
amiable introductions belied
sadness and a sense of
failure which quickly became clear as we started
to talk. Their son, Eric, now 28 years old, had
moved back in with them again, this time
while being treated for a “detox” prescribed
by their M.D. for withdrawal from addictive
prescription drugs. As their story unfolded, I
noticed the similarities of their story with others,
now all too familiar.
