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My partner and I have survived four years together, months of pandemic quarantine (in a studio apartment), and plenty of big changes. With all of that under our belts, we’re confident in our relationship and excited for its future, including marriage. But, like many couples, we fall into some unproductive communication ruts. While we’re down … Read more
I’ve been living with anxiety for a while—but lately, I realized I have just started accepting that anxiety as part of my everyday life, which … isn’t great. For example, I would check in with my physical body and feel tension throughout the day, a clenching of my jaw, or an inability to relax my … Read more
Independence refers to being self-sufficient or taking care of yourself. It is often necessary to function independently as an adult, such as making and keeping your appointments, completing assignments for work, or maintaining a healthy and safe living environment. However, like any trait, independence can be dangerous when taken to an extreme. Everyone encounters challenges … Read more
Also called relationship PTSD, post traumatic relationship syndrome (with the acronym PTRS) is the occurrence of being impacted by the trauma of a relationship. It differs from standard PTSD in that PTRS happens exclusively in relationships over a series of events. PTRS can occur in relationships or after the relationship has ended, and abuse can place … Read more
People who are hypervigilant are constantly on guard and prone to overreaction. They maintain an intense and sometimes obsessive awareness of their surroundings, frequently scanning for threats or routes of escape.1 Hypervigilance is about more than just being extra vigilant. It is a state of extreme alertness that undermines the quality of life. If you … Read more
Emotional shock is a reaction that you may have to an unexpected event or traumatic incident that upsets you and makes it hard for you to function. When faced with an intense stressor, you may experience a rush of overwhelming emotions that you aren‘t ready to understand or respond to, which can cause your body to go … Read more
Although experiencing anger and difficulty managing anger can occur in a number of mental health disorders, there is only one disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) that directly focuses on anger — Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED).1 Overview IED is a mental health disorder that first appears in childhood or adolescence and is … Read more
When you think of trauma, you probably either think of one-time events like a car accident, or ongoing trauma, such as childhood abuse. You might not be as familiar with medical trauma. Medical trauma refers to a patient’s psychological and physiological response to a negative or traumatic experience in a medical setting. The experience may … Read more
The visibility of trauma as a widespread clinical ailment is gaining steam. The general public’s increasing knowledge of trauma is due to how common traumatic experiences are. In a study conducted on general populations across 24 different countries, 70% of participants had experienced at least one traumatic event. In the same study, 30% of folks reported experiencing four … Read more
Trauma can impact people in a variety of ways and can even have a lasting impact on the brain. In some cases, it can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a trauma- and stressor-related disorder that results in improper processing and storage of traumatic memories. Because of the way these memories are stored, people with PTSD exhibit … Read more