Trauma-Informed Support for Partners of Survivors
Last week, I attended a one-day workshop with Kristin Neff, Ph.D. For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Neff’s work, she is a self-compassion researcher and the co-founder of the Mindful Self-Compassion…
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…
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…
There are costs to loving a trauma survivor. I know this statement may come across as unloving, unkind, and insensitive. It might come across as uncaring, unsupportive, and cruel. But despite the potential misinterpretations of this statement,…
Life as a partner to a survivor can feel overwhelming, scary, and challenging. This little book for partners acts as a guide to help you navigate the ups-and-downs when your partner has complex Post-Traumatic Stress…
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…
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.…
Do the stories of partners of survivors matter? I tucked this question into my laptop bag and entered the doors of Humber College summer writing school this past July. I had submitted fifteen pages of…
“What do you do for self-care?” It’s one of the first questions asked by partners when they join the Facebook support group Partners to Survivors with Complex Trauma. New members want to know what partners do…
“How do you cope with fatigue as the partner to a trauma survivor?” a friend recently asked. To be honest, the question frightened me. Was I fatigued? Was it a problem? Was I coping? Was…
If I knew the decision was right, why was I struggling? This August, we put our home up for sale. The plan: a relocation of 2,000 km to southern Ontario. The reason: to be closer…