You are more than your trauma. I couldn’t sleep. My mind ran restless laps around last week’s events. As much as I wanted to put it all behind me, my brain had other ideas. I…
You are more than your trauma
Articles
Why the answer ‘I don’t know’ is helping me understand my partner’s dissociative disorder
There’s a recurrent conversation between my partner and me. It goes like this. . . Me: “Why are you doing that?” or “Why didn’t you do that?” Him: “I don’t know.” Me: “What do you mean…
9 non-negotiable self-care strategies I can’t live without as partner to a survivor
If you’ve been reading my blog posts for a while, you’ll know the topic of self-care is really important to me. It’s important because as a partner to a survivor, I know the high risk…
The practice of being fully alive
As I write this, things are hard at home. My husband is struggling and so am I. 2018 was a challenging year and I feel discouraged. About ten days ago, I went out for one…
Five quotes to help make sense of my partner’s complex PTSD
Making sense of complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is hard. As a partner to a man with C-PTSD, I struggle. Some things just don’t make sense. When I discover a clear quote that summarizes a key…
The costs of loving a trauma survivor
There are costs to loving a trauma survivor. I know this statement may come across as or unsupportive, insensitive, or unkind. But despite the potential misinterpretations of this statement, it still needs to be said. There are…
What partners of survivors read for inspiration, information, and strength
What do partners of survivors read? Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with many partners of survivors. What I’ve learned is that partners are avid readers. We read for inspiration. We…
When a Week is Lost to Trauma
Last week was lost to trauma.* The days and hours of the second week of September passed and the dates on the calendar changed but, in our home, all activities outside of navigating my husband’s…
My Husband’s Developmental Trauma Changed Me
My husband’s developmental trauma changed me. Seven years ago, my husband of twenty years began to experience a series of visual flashbacks. These emerging memories pointed to a very different childhood than he had previously remembered.…
My Husband has Developmental Trauma and No One Told Me About It
My husband has developmental trauma and no one told me about it. After eight trauma therapists, three psychiatric assessments, four general practitioners, two big psychological breakdowns, many smaller breakdowns, three employment leaves, financial loss, one…
Who are your bridge people?
Who are your bridge people? It’s been one year since our house sold and we picked up and moved to Eastern Canada. It’s been a year of change, new people and places, challenges, and disappointments.…