Posts Tagged ‘Trauma’
An Open Letter to Donald Trump from a Trauma Survivor and Trauma Therapist
Dear Mr. Trump: Your comments on Monday morning in response to a veteran’s question about mental health treatment at a Retired American Warriors PAC implied that only veterans who are not “strong” and “can’t handle it” develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Yes, I read the transcript of your entire answer and saw the clip; yes, I…
We are Legion: Using Internal Family Systems (IFS) in Therapy
When I was a young man working in Paris I was walking home late one summer evening after a sweet dinner with friends. The weather was warm. I walked in that proud way we walk sometimes when we’re dressed a bit more formally. I wandered under the Eiffel Tower, crossed the Seine and headed up…
Love and Anger: How to Talk Effectively About Controversial Topics
Love has been on my mind. Not the kind that couples cling to around a warm fire, but the Lenny-Kravitz-love-ethic of letting love rule in our discourse around controversial topics such as racial justice, poverty, the environment and terrorism. I know that I, the woman who wrote an article titled “F*&K Positive Thinking” and a…
Five things Pixar’s Inside Out Gets Right, According to a Psychologist-Mom
Last weekend I went to the movies with my preschooler. It was a special theater adventure into which we snuck in a large purse full of popcorn. As the lights dimmed and the light-up crocks flashed, we heard lots of excited children exclaiming “It’s starting!” and some not-so-happy babies sharing in their preverbal, but easily…
PTSD: A Primer, Part 2
In the first installment of my Primer on PTSD, I laid out some of the aspects of PTSD from a diagnostic framework, as well as some of the forms it takes—how trauma actually impacts peopleʼs lives. Here Iʼll focus in on a few examples, painting with a broader brush some emotional and mental problems that…
No One Was Smiling Today: San Francisco Feeling The Boston Marathon Tragedy
“[In response to the Boston Marathon tragedy]… Whatever ‘ism’ is yours you may be lulled by it shortly- seduced to exclude parts of yourself or your community. Your biological drive to fend off mortality by clamoring for what you can get control over may take root and compassion will get thrown out the window.” -Traci…