Hitting Pause
The day it all shut down The migraine started around 2 a.m., following a late-night 3-hour drive. I took the pill I’d been prescribed and fell asleep. In the morning, I went for a massage. Some of the tension eased. Still, the bright lights flashed. The pain shot through my eyeball. I came home, closed […]
Groundhog Day on Thanksgiving
The problem? Thanksgiving didn’t feel the same Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I have a relatively small family and since I wasn’t raised with religion, Thanksgiving was the main holiday where everyone all came together for a festive meal. This gave me a sense of family deep in my heart. I took it […]
Giving Ourselves and Others a Break
Time to take a break. Friendly neighborhood blog manager here. Life is doing that thing right now where it dumps a heap of overwhelm. Yet I want to preserve what’s left of my sanity. And I want to continue the string of (hopefully!) helpful posts on the ATN blog. Therefore I am taking a couple […]
Five Nuggets of Emotional Wisdom for Mothers of Children with Trauma
Being a mother is the hardest job in the world when things go smoothly. When you have a child who suffers symptoms of trauma, the hardest job becomes exponentially harder. At my worst moments, when I despaired and felt like I could not go on, I was grateful for the education in emotions that I […]
Mother of the Year (Sort of…)
–by Anna Gosman And the “Mother of the Year” award goes to me…AGAIN. This is what I usually say to myself after I’ve lost my temper, forgotten to pack someone’s lunch, left someone at school (yes, that can happen…), the list goes on and on. It seems like every day I fail as a mother, […]
Why Adoptive Moms Don’t Get Enough Self-Care, and What to do About It
–by Sandi Lerman [originally published on the author’s blog, Adoption Roots and Wings, May 28, 2017] Manager’s note: Trauma mama / Parent coach Sandi recently reached out to ATN, and we couldn’t be happier! Please enjoy her first post, and may there be many more to come. As a parent coach for adoptive […]
The Problem With Yelling
–by Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW, originally published on the author’s blog, September 14, 2017 “The problem with verbal abuse is there is no evidence,” Marta shared. She came for help with a long-standing depression. “What do you mean lack of evidence?” I asked her. “When people are physically or sexually abused it’s concrete and real. […]
The Feeling of Not Enough
–by Hilary Jacobs Hendel Manager’s note: another great post from therapist and writer Hilary Jacobs Hendel, originally published back in July. Many people carry the same wounds Mike has. Kids impacted by trauma carry them at least a thousand-fold. This post helps understand how they feel and gives ideas of tools can help. Click here […]
Self Compassion for the Trauma Momma
We are delighted to bring you this guest blog from Robyn Gobbel, LCSW, who is a therapist specializing in adoption, attachment, and trauma and a founder of the Central Texas Attachment & Trauma Center. Robyn earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Utah and holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Therapy with Foster […]
Got Self Compassion?
December 4, 2014 by: David Kerrigan In the holiday season, we’re reminded to remember the neediest among us. From every spiritual tradition I know of, we’re called to compassion, mercy, loving kindness, treating others as we would want to be treated… For therapeutic parents, that means having compassion for traumatized kids. Being patient when they’re […]