How to find your motivating factor with ADHD.
In my last post, I talked about why people with ADHD struggle with motivation and identified some tools to help get the momentum needed to start going on tasks. You can read about that here. Expanding on motivation a little more, there are four things that tend to be high motivating factors for people with […]
Motivation with ADHD: why the struggle is real and 6 ways you can help yourself.
Many people with ADHD know the struggle to find motivation to complete daily tasks. It can be discouraging to feel a lack of drive to complete normal daily tasks or even a project that you have been wanting to get done for so long. It may be something that seems so simple like making a […]
How your ADHD brain works: 4 parts of the brain impacted by ADHD.
It’s still uncertain, the complete cause of ADHD and research is still being conducted to further explore how the ADHD brain works. Current research has found there appears to be a defect with the DRD2 gene which impairs the brain’s ability to respond to dopamine. There are several articles out there that will tell you […]
Coping with trauma: 10 Trauma grounding techniques
I side stepped in my trauma series blog posts to talk about the importance of self-compassion and how to build self-compassion. I will wrap up my trauma series by sharing how to cope with trauma with trauma grounding techniques. Triggers. Trauma can be triggered by people, places, media, situations, sounds, smells, thoughts, and feelings. I […]
Building Self-Compassion
In my previous post I talked about the importance of self-compassion for your mental health. I also touched on why you may struggle with self-compassion. We are very tough on ourselves. Many of us tend to set unrealistic high expectations and negative self-talk ensues when we fall short. You can read more about that here. Building […]
The importance of self-compassion for your mental health
The importance of self-compassion for your mental health is often overlooked as a fundamental piece in your healing process. You may initiate therapy thinking, “I need to fix my depression so I can get out of bed” or “I need to be able to go to the grocery store and not be triggered.” Those can […]
Learn how to heal from your childhood trauma and set yourself free.
The process of healing from your childhood trauma is not a one-size-fits-all process, but there are several key components in the healing process for each person. Below are eight steps on how to heal from your childhood trauma. Each step is essential in your healing process. How to heal from your childhood trauma: Find the […]
9 tools for coping with trauma related dissociation.
Dissociation is a broad term for feeling disconnected from yourself or the world. It is a way our mind and body cope with stressful and overwhelming situations. What constitutes a stressful situation varies depending on the person. I touch more on stress in my post here. Dissociating due to a traumatic event and trauma triggers […]
Trauma bonding in abusive relationships.
**This post contains information that may be triggering for some individuals.** A trauma bond is a strong attachment to a person who causes you harm. It is typically formed in romantic relationships where the cycle of abuse is present, although it shows in other relationships such as child and abusive parent. I will dive more […]
10 trauma survivor strategies for healing yourself and your relationship.
It can be devastating to see your relationship deteriorate. What’s worse is you feel like you’re the reason. Trauma survival mode kicks on and now a part of you keeps pulling away while another part of you longs for the connection and intimacy. You feel stuck fighting with yourself. Overcome your trauma and rebuild your […]
Trauma and relationships: How trauma survival mode impacts your relationships.
As humans, we are wired for connection. It is an innate drive to find a partner because we are not meant to be alone through life. Being in a relationship means being vulnerable. You must share parts of yourself with your partner that gives them the power to help lift you up but can also […]
8 ways you are trauma blocking.
Trauma blocking is an intentional effort to avoid the thoughts, feelings, and memories of past trauma. Some people can process through the traumatic experience(s) after the event(s), but other people may find they are too overwhelmed and flooded by the experience(s) and efforts to avoid the thoughts, feelings, and memories are initiated. Trauma blocking may […]
8 common trauma triggers.
Some context on memories. All memories take on a spiderweb-like fashion. You have the core of the event, the crash. What branches off that are the people around, details of your surroundings, sounds, smells, thoughts, etc. If something causes you to recall any part of that spiderweb, it will likely lead you back to remembering […]
Chronic trauma: psychological and physical impacts.
In my previous post I covered how our brain and body respond to big T and little t traumatic events. You can read about that here. I briefly mentioned that chronic trauma creates different problems for our mind and body. I will expand on that in this post. I also explained in my previous post how […]
Big T trauma vs. little T trauma: how it affects your brain.
Trauma is any adverse experience that generates a stress response and activates survival mode. Notice I said it is the experience. Trauma is not the event itself, it’s how your brain and body experience and respond to the event. Trauma can be broken down into two categories, big T trauma and little t trauma. Big T […]
8 signs you have HPA Axis Dysfunction.
What is stress? Stress is any circumstance that triggers the alarms that there is a threat to our body’s homeostasis. We need the release of cortisol when we are faced with danger and must run away or fight to make the environment safe again. A situation like this allows our body to use the cortisol […]
Is Neurofeedback therapy right for you?
Although Neurofeedback Therapy is only recently gaining attention as a therapeutic treatment option, it is a technique that was developed in the late 1950s. Over the years, neurofeedback therapy has become more refined and effective for treating several different mental health concerns. The foundation of neurofeedback therapy. Neurofeedback therapy is a non-invasive treatment that utilizes […]
The positives to ADHD that are often overlooked.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has long been a diagnosis that many individuals dread hearing. It often leaves individuals more confused due to the contradictory and inconsistency with ADHD research and criteria according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5th edition. For one, it is puzzling to call it a disorder, because there are so many positive […]
Depression: the truth behind the cause.
Signs of depression: More than a chemical imbalance The general understanding of depression is that it is a chemical imbalance in your brain. While that is true, it is not necessarily the root reason or cause for depression. There are several other factors at play being faulty mood regulation, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, trauma, […]
Why we need anxiety.
The human body is programmed to survive. When our ancestors woke up and walked to the front of the cave, they may have found themselves face-to-face with a hungry bear. When they saw the bear, their bodies would sound the alarms of “threat!” The body responds by shooting out adrenaline and cortisol so they could […]
Is EMDR Therapy right for you?
To better understand Eye Movement Desensitization and Repressing (EMDR) Therapy, it is helpful to know how trauma affects the brain. Trauma results from exposure to an event(s) that is emotionally disturbing or life-threatening. When an event this significant happens, the brain reacts in a way to self-protect. The fight or flight system of our brain […]
ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.
First, lets quickly cover the most common symptoms and signs of ADHD before diving into Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. The most known symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) include being easily distracted, forgetful, lack of attention to detail, trouble keeping attention on tasks, failure to follow through on instructions, difficulty with organization, avoidance of tasks […]
Intergenerational Trauma may be negatively impacting your life.
As if trauma was not already complicated enough. Intergenerational trauma, also referred to as multigenerational trauma or transgenerational trauma explains why we may have adverse emotional or behavioral reactions even though we never directly experienced a traumatic event. What studies have found. A study conducted by scientists at Atlanta University trained male mice to fear […]
What should you expect when initiating therapy?
If you haven’t been to therapy before, don’t worry, you are not alone. It takes courage to reach out for help, and you did it! So, what should you expect? After you submit the contact form I will reach out via phone or email and we will spend some time talking about what you are […]