Nobody wants to be a victim….or so I thought. I love defining commonly used words to make sure we all mean the same thing. Victim http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victim Full Definition of VICTIM 1: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite 2: one that is acted on and usually adversely…
Here is yet another link to symptoms of PTSD: http://www.post-traumata.com/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-symptoms.html I believe there is benefit in reading what the range of symptoms can be. Too often people get hung up on a short list and miss recognizing other symptoms. Also you don’t have to have all of them to be diagnosed with PTSD. This is…
Evan commented yesterday that taking control of my life is not accurate. He phrased it nicer. Life happens. My participation when I have victim thinking is a bit like driftwood tossed into a raging river. Healthier thinking, I am a person on that driftwood with my hands paddling like mad to get to where I…
One of my counselors goals was to convince me that I had control over my own life. I was raised with the ‘you must’, ‘I have to’, ‘I can’t’ and other statements indicating that I was turning my life over to someone else to regulate my behavior. One time when I stated that “I had…
Authenticity 1. The quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine. dictionary.search.yahoo.com Ooo boy was this ever a toughy for me. I first had to understand that my whole life was built on lies, half truths, and fear. My counselor held the mirror while I looked at my past. I didn’t remember any of…
Back to basics is a buzz word at school referring to the need to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Getting back to basics in psychological terms is boundaries, authenticity, and self-regulation. Child abuse interferes with learning these basics. My boundaries were violated so often and so completely I didn’t even know what they were. Simply…
I’m fairly sure the last one is not a word, but it needs to be. Thriving was not part of my vocabulary. I understood taking orders, I knew how to survive; it is like I knew how to drive a tank but didn’t know how to walk down a city street. I do believe some…
The age old debate of which came first the chicken or the egg? An article on Bullying in the work place noticed that those that are already anxious are more likely to be targeted. My counselor told me the same thing when I joked I must have a target on my back. He responded that…
This week I wrote the keys for the students to correct their classwork about teaching children emotional intelligence. Unlike intellectual intelligence, the studies show that emotional intelligence is learned. I have permission from the teacher to share links and other information about how to teach children how to recognize, name, and work with their emotions. …
One of the struggles of PTSD or Complex PTSD is the tendency for the symptoms to take over everything. I find it difficult sometimes to remind myself that I am not PTSD. I have PTSD and the diagnosis gives me a term to look up to find out ways other people over come their struggles. …
PTSD - Accepting, Coping, Thriving 