For centuries, survivors of sexual assault weren’t able to speak out. They were shamed and perversely, blamed.

Statistics revealed that six out of hundred people in the U.S. will likely experience PTSD at some point in their life.

Ttraumatic memories are physically encoded differently in the brain than regular, non-traumatic memories.

In this article, we’ll talk about the cranial nerves, and, more specifically, the vagus nerve and polyvagal theory.

Advances in neurobiology – knowing how our brains and nervous systems work – help us understand how PTSD symptoms persist and how they heal

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a painful, frightening and frustrating condition.

One day, Dave was having a quiet day in his workshop. He was working on his model trains, his favorite hobby. He was looking at the tracks, the way the lines interweave all around the room. And he started to think about what he had seen a few months ago in his work as a police officer. He remembered what it was like to be the first responder to the scene of a suicide. The image of the suicide scene was riveting; it seemed burned into his brain and into his retina.   Without w

The expressive art exercise called LifeLine is a positive tool in the therapy room. Getting an overview of your life can be a first step step towards self understanding and self acceptance and embodying these new understandings into your nervous system.

Originally posted January 9, 2019. Happy reading! Thank you to my loving readers for visiting my humble blog! Looking back at the dynamic range of topics in the BirthTouch® blog, that touch on mental health and mindbody therapies, I thought I’d share the most popular blogs of the year. 1. DBT STOP & TIP Skills: Life is worth living even if there is pain The top top spot was claimed by an article about a very, very popular and evidence-based therapy called Dialectical Beha

Originally posted November 19, 2018. Veterans Yoga Project Yoga for Emotional Healing PTSD Veterans Yoga Project (VYP) is a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping veterans gain access to the healing benefits of yoga with a program called Mindful Resilience. Thanks to the efforts of VYP, the Mindful Resilience yoga program is being used to help veterans and active-duty military personnel heal from the emotional, physical and psychological aspects of war t

Another part of the session was spent beginning the re-training of Betty’s nervous system to a calmer state using Somatic Experiencing® (SE). SE® gently reminds the nervous system to function within a more normal window of tolerance once again, so that the dramatic highs and lows are less pronounced. The trauma sessions moved forward, always at the pace where Betty was comfortable. Betty was always the catalyst for her own healing.

Birth trauma is a risk factor for postpartum depression, Help is available! Betty was feeling very down, anxious and disconnected. She had given birth to her third child just twelve weeks ago! Her new baby was a joy. He was beautiful and perfect. And so much work as well! Betty had never missed sleep so much in her life! He was her second baby, her first son. She thought she should feel very happy. But she just felt empty. There was so much work to do, so much laundry

Originally posted July 24, 2018. Mental Health: Veterans Yoga Project Healing PTSD I wanted to share with my readers a very positive effort full of positive energy taking place in the world. In 2017 in Hoboken, New Jersey, I first came into contact with the Veterans Yoga Project (VYP) organization. Tam Terry and Helene Graff, residents of Hoboken, arranged a fundraiser. Stevens Institute of Technology graciously offered the use of the university’s Walker gymnasium. Dr.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy widely used in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR is recommended by multiple international treatment guidelines and is supported by decades of clinical research. Trauma researchers, including Dr. Bessel van der Kolk , have helped expand our understanding of why EMDR is effective — particularly when trauma symptoms are rooted in the nervous system rather than conscious t

An anonymous mother’s story and the psychological aftermath of non-consented intervention. Content Note This piece includes an anonymous account of a traumatic childbirth experience, including non-consented medical procedures and post-traumatic stress symptoms. If you have experienced birth trauma yourself, please consider reading in a supported and regulated state. An Anonymous Mother’s Story Birth is meant to be a moment of vulnerability, strength, and profound transition.

Heather Barson’s story is extraordinary. She writes about her recovery from post-traumatic stress after childbirth — about navigating a healthcare system that did not protect her autonomy, about isolation, about anger, about meaning-making, and ultimately about healing. Her journey is layered, complex, and deeply human. I admire her immensely. Please join me in welcoming Heather Barson. Q: Tell me briefly about what you do in your life & work outside this space. Heather: M

Content Note: This article discusses sexual abuse and its impact on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum mental health. Please read gently and take care of yourself. Sexual abuse — whether a single assault or long-term childhood trauma — can quietly shape the emotional landscape of pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood. Many survivors do not initially connect past trauma with their perinatal mental health. Yet pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, medical exams, and the profound vuln

Listening to women’s lived experiences of trauma treatment in the childbearing year. Content note: This article includes descriptions of birth trauma, postpartum depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. A Note on Context Earlier in my clinical career, I wrote a three-part series exploring EMDR and pregnancy. Two of those articles were published in Science & Sensibility , the journal of Lamaze International. This third piece focused on women’s lived experiences with EMDR du

Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897), author, abolitionist, and one of the few formerly enslaved women to publish a first-person narrative. Harriet Jacobs lived a brutal and extraordinary life. Her story is appalling, sad, fascinating and inspiring all at once. Harriett’s life is all about the hardships of being a female piece of property. She writes intentionally in a women’s voice, highlighting gender issues. She hoped to appeal to free white women, to help them understand the a

Book Review: In the Shadow of a Badge: A Memoir about Flight 93, a Field of Angels and My Spiritual Homecoming by Lillie Leonardi Post-Traumatic Growth, Spiritual Development and Development of the Self When I saw this book advertised by Hay House, I was instantly attracted. After a quick look at Lillie Leonardi, the author’s, website, I immediately Kindled her book and read it straight through. For me, the transcendent themes of post-traumatic growth, the process of soul