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"Am I Losing My Mind?" Narcissistic Abuse Syndrome: A Normal Response to Something Very Abnormal
Susan began to realize that her breakup with Donald was not just a breakup. In the weeks after the separation, she found that the relationship was not actually over. She had expected to go through the familiar pain of loss — to mourn, to grieve, to slowly recover from the comfort, the love, and the confusion of a six-year relationship that had meant a great deal to her.
Finding Wise Mind During Cancer: Balancing Emotion and Reason in Hard Times
A cancer diagnosis — whether newly discovered or long managed — brings a wide and often overwhelming range of emotions. Anger. Rage. Despair. Anxiety. Helplessness. Sadness. All of these are normal. There is nothing “wrong” with you for feeling deeply during a medical crisis. In fact, strong emotions are part of a healthy human response to threat, uncertainty, and loss. There is nothing “wrong” with you for feeling deeply during a medical crisis. In fact, strong emotions are part of a healthy...
How Emotions Are Processed In the Brain
The nervous system detects safety and threat before thought. How Emotions Are Processed in the Brain Trauma affects not only how memories are stored, but also how emotions are experienced and interpreted . For individuals with PTSD, emotional and physical symptoms often arise automatically, shaped by underlying neurobiological changes that occurred under conditions of threat. Understanding how emotions are processed in the brain can help explain why trauma reactions feel immediate, bodily,...
Radical Acceptance: A DBT Skill for Reducing Emotional Pain
Radical acceptance means embracing the present moment and reality as it is, without trying to change it or deny it. It involves recognizing facts, feelings, and situations—even painful or uncomfortable ones—without judgment or avoidance. This concept originates from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, who emphasized acceptance as a key skill for managing emotional distress.
Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Identity Shifts of Matrescence
Matrescence is a developmental passage — one that can reopen earlier chapters while inviting integration. Childhood sexual abuse and a woman’s reproductive life may be separated by years or decades. And yet traumatic memories can resurface, because they are often held in the body and mind in a non-linear way. When traumatic memories resurface, in those moments, the nervous system may respond as if the past is happening again, leading to sensations of threat, loss of control, or shutdown that...
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