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The Somatic Cost of Masking In Neurodivergent People
The chronic muscular tension, profound fatigue, and identity fragmentation often experienced by neurodivergent individuals who mask are not separate symptoms but interconnected signs of a body forced to live a prolonged performance.
Sensory Joy as a Pathway Through Trauma
Deliberate attention to simple pleasures rewires the nervous system for safety, building a new somatic narrative where the body is a source of comfort and resilience.
Feeling Erased: Reclaiming Presence After Trauma
Trauma can create a profound and haunting sense of being erased, as if one's inner reality has been rendered invisible.
Reclaiming the Inner Voice: CPTSD and Negative Self-Talk in Neurodivergent Individuals
For neurodivergent individuals with CPTSD, negative self-concepts are often trauma responses forged in a world of chronic mismatch. Healing involves gentle practices that address both the ingrained neural pathways of criticism and the specific context of neurodivergent experience.
The Somatic Wisdom of Dark Comedy
A dark sense of humor is more than a coping mechanism, it is a somatic tool for regulation.
Decoding Suicidal Ideation in Trauma Survivors
The emergence of suicidal thoughts following trauma is often not a desire to die, but a desperate, somatic plea for the overwhelming pain to stop.
When Attunement Becomes Enmeshment
In many relationships, a pattern emerges where one partner's heightened emotional attunement becomes a mechanism for avoiding conflict and managing their own anxiety.
Tummy Talk: Conversing With The Enteric Nervous System
Our gut feelings are not problems to be solved but messages to be understood. Learning the language of the enteric nervous system allows us to heal trauma by listening to the wisdom of the body.
The Double Wound: Family Harm and the Somatic Impact of Disbelief
When a child is harmed by a family member, the injury is profound. This injury is compounded when other family members respond with disbelief or blame.
When Cultural Scripts Fail Survivors of Coercion and Manipulation
Survivors often struggle to name their experiences because dominant cultural scripts prioritize physical violence.
Betrayal Trauma in Sexual Assault Survivors
Betrayal trauma in sexual assault survivors is compounded when therapists, loved ones, and systems minimize their pain.
Grieving the Self Who Didn’t Know
Grieving the self who "didn’t know" is an act of reclaiming clarity and compassion.
Erotic Confusion and Body Memory in Sexual Assault Survivors
Erotic confusion and body memory in sexual assault survivors are reflexive responses, not signs of consent.
Trauma Integration and the Ripple Effect
Trauma integration brings clarity and revelation, yet its ripple effect means unresolved layers may surface later, often catching us off guard.
Understanding Fragmented Memory Encoding in Trauma Survivors
Trauma reshapes how memories are stored, often leaving survivors with fragments instead of a full story.
Why Sexual Assault Can Be Confusing for Survivors
Sexual assault can leave survivors feeling confused, especially when their reactions don’t match societal expectations or their body’s responses feel unclear.
The Fawn Response in Survivors
The fawn response in sexual assault survivors is a survival strategy, not a choice. Understanding it helps remove shame and opens the door to healing.
Emotional Back-draft: Navigating Self-Compassion and Healing
Emotional backdraft is the surge of old pain that arises when we first practice self-compassion, signaling not danger but deep healing.
How Self-Compassion Builds Resiliency
True resilience isn’t about toughness or endurance, it grows from self-compassion.
Communication Trauma, CPTSD and the Neurodivergent Nervous System
Communication trauma leaves deep scars in neurodivergent individuals, shaping both mind and body. This article explores how repeated misunderstandings fuel CPTSD and somatic distress through a nervous system lens.