A bad combination — It’s that time of year when people around the United States overspend, trying to make their Christmas perfect. Folks run up their credit cards, wrap up their finds, and offer them as gifts. However, for some survivors, this time of year is challenging because they have compulsive buying disorder. This…

Without losing your soul — Every year, survivors face a world gone mad. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s bring with them countless traditions, and people buy things they cannot afford as gifts. When you are a survivor of severe and repeated childhood abuse, you often equate the holidays with sour memories of what happened to…

Do you know your rights? People have days for everything anymore. However, I am in a wheelchair and have been for over twenty years, so the one that is near and dear to my heart is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I hope that this article will not…

Overcoming self-harming behaviors — **Trigger Warning*** This article includes an honest discussion about self-harming behavior. No triggering information is shared, but it is a highly triggering topic to some. Caution is advised. We have published many articles on complex post-traumatic stress disorder and how it changes lives. …

Learning to communicate — As anyone who has dissociative identity disorder (DID) can tell you, one of the worst symptoms is hearing the voices of the other alters as they vie for attention. These voices can be overwhelming, leaving multiples shocked and dismayed. This article will focus on how hearing the voices of other…

It’s time to seek peace with yourself — Everyone experiences being overwhelmed at times. Perhaps your job has become more complicated while something is happening at home. However, emotional overwhelm can cause enormous problems for those who experience it and can make self-harming more likely. This article will focus on emotional overwhelm and how it influences self-harming behavior. …

Our Brains are Different Dissociative identity disorder (DID) has long baffled those in the mental health field. The controversy surrounding DID, and the stigma even cause some mental health professionals to disbelieve its existence. However, what if I told you that dissociative identity disorder isn’t a mental health concern at…

***Trigger Warning*** — This article includes an honest discussion about self-harming behavior, a topic that is highly triggering to some. Caution is advised. Self-harm is something people do when they are so overwhelmed by emotions that they do not know what to do. Indeed, self-harming behavior does bring a measure of ease, lessening…

Viewer Caution is Advised — Self-harming behaviors leave lasting scars and often feelings of shame. For those who have never self-harmed, doing so is an enigma they can’t answer. However, it makes perfect sense for those who have self-harmed. Some people who have suffered complex trauma turn to drastic means to lessen their pain. This…