* On your first date, please meet at a public place, tell someone where you are going and who the date is with. Never get picked up at your home or dropped off at your home until you know this person.

Breaking a trauma bond often requires professional help who understand trauma, abuse, and trauma bonding and by friends, who are non-judgmental, validating, empathetic, and compassionate.

Anxiety affects millions of people worldwide. It can manifest and various forms from general anxiety to panic attacks. In this blog, I will explore what you can do when you’re feeling anxious, and how to support someone who is feeling anxiety.

It is helpful to be aware of both red flags that may warn you to proceed with caution and green flags that indicate a healthy potential relationship. Be mindful of how you feel and here are some common signs to watch for.

“Grief is a universal human experience that can greatly impact our lives and those around us. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a job, or a significant life change, grief can manifest in many ways and affect people in different ways, sometimes unexpected, like an emotional rollercoaster - with its ups and downs.”

As a society, it is important to acknowledge the impact of childhood roles in dysfunctional

families and provide resources for individuals to heal and grow.

Navigating the Holidays with a Narcissist

I have been blessed and had the privilege to have worked and volunteered as a hospice social worker for more than sixteen years. Patients and their families have allowed me to enter their homes at one of the most difficult and most vulnerable periods of their lives. They put trust in me and our team to care for them and we strived to do our best to make the patient and their loved ones physically comfortable and emotionally and spiritually at peace.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE- JUST BY USING YOUR WORDS. THIS IS HOW YOU SAVE LGBTQ+ YOUTH AND ADULTS.... BY PROVIDING LOVE…ACCEPTANCE…KINDNESS...SUPPORT...NON-JUDGEMENT...LISTENING AND HELPING THEM FEEL HEARD...USING PRONOUNS THE PERSON IDENTIFIES WITH...HELPING SOMEONE GAIN ACCESS TO RESOURCES...HELPING SOMEONE GAIN ACCESS TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH ...BE AN ALLY...BE A FRIEND...DONT BE A BYSTANDER…STAND UP FOR SOMEONE WHO IS BEING BULLIED...SUPPORT LAWS TO PROTECT OUR LGBTQ+ YOUTH AND ADULTS. JUST BE A GOOD HUMAN.

According to the CDC, In 2020, in the United States:

*12.2 million adults (over 18) seriously thought about suicide. In addition, 3.2 million adults made a plan, and 1.2 million adults attempted suicide.

*45,979 people died by suicide, one death every 11 minutes.

*For every suicide death, four people of hospitalized for a suicide attempt, eight people visited the emergency room because of suicide, 27 people self-report suicide attempts, and 275 people "seriously considered suicide."

It can be devastating for all parties involved. Often, but not always, the grandchildren are estranged from their grandparents because of the estrangement of the parent and adult child. The person that desires a connection, often feels helpless, as they wait for the other person to connect. All parties are often suffering, though this blog focuses primarily on the person that has not made the decision to be alienated, I must recognize that the person that made that decision usually does so because they are feeling a myriad of emotions such as emotional pain, anger, or a need to protect themselves. There may be a history of abuse or history of alienation from the other parent since the adult child’s childhood.

Trauma affects our mental health, our physical health, our relationships, our self-esteem, and how we perceive and react to the world around us. Trauma responses such as fight, flight, and freeze, are our body’s way to protect ourselves from danger and keep us safe. So, our bodies are acting the way they are supposed to when they feel danger. The problem is that our bodies may think they are in a dangerous situation when there is none. So instead of looking at our trauma responses as dysfunctional, I see them as potentially functional but at the wrong time.

Postpartum psychosis, sometimes called postnatal psychosis, or puerperal psychosis, is a perinatal mental disorder that has a biological trigger that occurs after childbirth, usually within two weeks, and often lasts for months, even years. It is a dangerous mental health condition where a new mother loses her sense of reality, suffers from hallucinations, mood changes, delusions, disorganized thinking, and paranoia, and may harm herself and her baby.

For the purpose of this blog, I will concentrate on the influences of family and how we can pass on trauma and coping patterns, which can affect generation after generation until addressed and healed. Important components of this construct include how a mother feels while she is pregnant, how a caregiver reacts to their child, and how family stories are often adopted by family members who never experienced them directly, as their own. Our accumulative truth, the way we understand the world and interact, can be passed to us by our ancestors and passed down through generations by storytelling, direct observation, and treatment over time.

Not every narcissist will cheat, and not every cheater is a narcissist, but when a narcissist cheats, they often feel entitled, lack remorse, and will not change.

It is not the victim’s fault, and they will likely cheat again.

This blog may be painful for a partner of a narcissist to read. Understanding that their narcissistic partner is unable to love them (or anyone) and that they do not care about their feelings and will act accordingly is hurtful. I am sorry for any pain this blog will cause. Understanding a narcissist’s motivation to cheat allows the victim to make educated decisions and not blame themselves, which can help heal.

It often takes distance and education on narcissistic abuse for someone to understand what abuse has occurred in their relationships. In addition, writing in a journal, telling their story to others, and getting help from mental health professionals can also assist in healing. Please do not blame yourself for being a victim. A narcissist can manipulate and abuse anyone by slowly breaking them down with their tactics. No one is immune from their abuse and manipulations. I have been a psychotherapist since 1988, and I was not immune. They can be “master manipulators,” and their victim comes to the relationship with their vulnerabilities which a narcissist will use. Because they lack empathy, and their goal is narcissistic supply, there are no limits.