Being an Emotional Empath with C-PTSD
I am a strong emotional empath, unintentionally but constantly reading and absorbing the energy of everyone I encounter. I've been like this for as long as I can remember and cannot say whether I was born this way or developed it as a survival mechanism in my emotionally charged home. One of my cousins does this kind of thing as a parlor trick, so most likely it runs in the family. I was the kid with whom no one wanted to play Trivial Pursuit, because if you read the answer t
Dec 18, 20254 min read
Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT)
ETT was developed in the mid-1990s by Steven Vazquez, as a revolutionary way approach to healing. It combines the power of light, color and rapid eye movements with traditional psychotherapy. The aim is to rewire our emotional responses at the neurological level. Check out this link for some of the science: Emotional Transformation Therapy: Revolutionizing Mental Health . After years of CBT and a year of EMDR, ETT changed the game. In only 4 sessions I went from being overwhe
Dec 16, 20254 min read
Releasing the Shame of Emotions
In my childhood family, expressing emotions was bad. My father shamed anyone who cried, treated it as a weakness. When my mother cried, she would leave the room to gather her composure. My mother was embarrassed by any display of emotion: don't clap too loudly or dance in public, and never ever cheer out loud to show support at an event. Neither parent expressed love or showed affection, so that too seemed like a bad thing. I was desperate to please my parents, so constantl
Dec 10, 20252 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 to give context to the assignment. We used the lightbox to help me process what I'm feeling and rewire my brain for this trigger. When asked to look to the right (so the color was showing primarily in my l
Dec 9, 20253 min read
Caring for my Abusers
For the 3rd time as an adult, I find myself providing support to someone who abused me. Each of these experiences is unique aside from the most basic element: I show up for people who need me, always. My Mother After my father left her on the brink of my college graduation, my mother fell into a deep depression for nearly a decade. She leaned on me harder than anyone would consider to be acceptable. Note that I was only 22 years old and did not yet recognize the emotional and
Dec 9, 20254 min read
Embracing Trauma-Informed Care for Daily Healing
Healing from Complex PTSD is not a straight path. It’s messy, unpredictable, and deeply personal. I’ve learned that the way we care for ourselves every day can either support our healing or unknowingly trigger old wounds. That’s why embracing trauma-informed self-care has become my lifeline. It’s not just about bubble baths or meditation apps. It’s about understanding how trauma shapes our experience and tailoring our care to meet those needs with compassion and respect. I wa
Dec 8, 20255 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 concur. (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
Dec 5, 20253 min read