Personal Reflections on Complex PTSD
My name is Rebecca. I have Complex PTSD from childhood emotional abuse and neglect, which left me afraid of exposing to the world what I knew to be true: I was not enough in any way, an imposter in my own life. After years of hard work in therapy I have reached a point where CPTSD no longer defines who I am or how I face the world. By any objective measures I am successful: a technology professional in a loving marriage. Those of us with CPTSD too often feel judged and misund
1 day ago1 min read
A Therapy Assignment
I see a therapist trained in Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT): it was my game-changer. I'm back in sessions with Irma to resolve the trauma response triggered by my mother's accusation of stealing her jewelry. ETT is fascinating, and I'll share some of my session here. We used the lightbox to help me process what I'm feeling and rewire my trauma brain for this trigger. When asked to look to the right (so the color was showing primarily in my left eye), I felt anger and
2 hours ago3 min read
My Mother's Accusation
I recently drove to Ohio to visit my mother. She's showing signs of dementia, so every opportunity counts. I stayed nearly a week, and on my way home she called to ask if I had taken her gold jewelry. I replied that I would never do that, and she seemed to agree. (The jewelry has been "missing" for two years.) A week later, I received a vicious email from her demanding that I return it immediately. I was hurt an angry, called her the next day and said: "I did not steal your g
3 hours ago3 min read
