Comparison and the Question of Legitimacy Something that comes up repeatedly in my work with women who experienced neglect or abuse in childhood is comparison. A woman may describe experiences that involved emotional manipulation, sexual boundary violations, chronic unpredictability or…
Most of the women I work with don’t arrive in therapy asking whether they should cut ties with their narcissistic mother. They usually come for help due to the effects of childhood trauma — anxiety, shame, low confidence, difficulties in…
For many adults who grew up with abuse, neglect, or other painful experiences, the past doesn’t always stay in the past. Even when you think you’ve buried those memories away, they can resurface suddenly — sometimes as fragments, sometimes as…
You don’t need to have a formal trauma diagnosis to know that something’s off. Maybe you’re constantly overwhelmed even when nothing dramatic is happening. Or you find yourself shutting down in situations that don’t seem “bad enough” to explain the…
In therapeutic work, clarity about language is important, especially when it comes to trauma. Words such as “trauma,” “complex trauma,” and “complex PTSD” are often used in different ways, sometimes interchangeably. Yet each term refers to something distinct. This matters,…
I’ve been in a philosophical mood this weekend—thinking about life transitions and the work I do as a therapist. One question keeps surfacing: what happens when someone enters therapy during a life transition that unsettles their sense of meaning? And…