Trauma’s Rising Public Profile

By Wesley Gallagher Trauma—it’s a big word with many connotations. Terms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have entered the American lexicon, tied to news of terrorist attacks or stories of combat soldiers. But trauma is something that is experienced in big and small ways by people in all… Read More

The Many Masks of Unresolved Grief

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding and could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; much of your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion by which… Read More

How Psychodrama Heals Trauma

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, touted by Oprah Winfrey as one of the most important studies of our time, has successfully made the connection between emotional and psychological childhood trauma and physical health problems later in life. In other words, what begins in the mind alters the body’s… Read More

Attachment, Emotion Regulation, and Resiliency

Often, during the first week of treatment at The Meadows, people will skeptically inquire, “Do experiences in childhood really continue to affect my life as an adult?” While social scientists and mental health clinicians have been exploring this question for decades, other fields of science and medicine have been… Read More

ACoA’s and Children of Trauma: 7 Things to Be Grateful For

By Tian Dayton Ph.D. How many times have I heard people share that they “do not regret the past”? “Whatever brought me into recovery,” says Sharon M., “has helped me to make such positive life changes that I truly feel appreciated more than resentful, much more in fact. I even… Read More

How Modern Lifestyles Activate Ancient Stress Responses

Do you feel fried, get easily irritated, or sink into negative states of mind faster than you used to? Do you want to collapse and cocoon at the end of the week? If so, consider what might be going on with your stress level that might be affecting your mood. Read More

The Hollower: Childhood Emotional Neglect and Its Effects

Here’s an irony for you: neglect is neglected. In discussions of childhood maltreatment, neglect hovers in the background, included categorically (“abuse and neglect”) but rarely the main focus despite being more prevalent than abuse and just as damaging.[1] The reasons aren’t hard to spot. First, abuse and neglect often occur together,… Read More

Write a Love Letter to Your Inner Child

Write a love letter to your inner child, to that part of you that is young, playful, innocent and vulnerable. That part of you who you need to be listening to, who you need to be on good terms with so that you can feel spontaneous, alive and creative! Letter… Read More

Growing Up in the Shadow of Addiction

Children of addicted parents who experience relational trauma can carry the imprint of that pain for the rest of their lives. As adult children of alcoholics (ACoA), we can be perplexed about what we’re healing from and how we should heal it. Many of us think that we can… Read More

Men’s Trauma Affects Their Recovery and Relationships

Mental health professionals can improve treatment through trauma-centered and gender-responsive approaches. When men seek treatment for addiction, depression, and mental health disorders the outcomes are often quite positive. However, there is still room for improvement, since the risk for relapse after treatment is still somewhat high. Dan Griffin, an American sociologist who has studied gender and recovery and trained at Hazelden as a chemical dependency counselor, thinks that the men would be more likely to maintain recovery if treatment programs take a more trauma-centered and gender-specific approach. Read More