Tag: mentalhealthawarness
-
August 29th: Reflecting On Year 4
Four years ago today, I had my first flashback. Last August, I talked about how my therapist offered a different lens to view my “traumaversary” through. This year, we didn’t have to have that conversation. As tumultuous as it’s been, had my trajectory not been altered in such a way, I don’t think I would…
-
Healing Fragmented Memories Through EMDR: An Interactive CEU
Healing Fragmentation: The Brain-Body Reconnect I’m honored to be co-presenting a continuing education session for mental health professionals focusing on the neurobiology of trauma and the healing potential of EMDR therapy. As I’ve shared in the past, when I was 19 (almost exactly four years ago now) I developed PTSD after a childhood trauma resurfaced…
-
Year 4: Late Night Thoughts About Trauma & Time
Year 4 I was surprised when I opened my leather journal to find the last entry was from several months ago. More than halfway through 2024 and only a few pages have been filled since last December. It’s not an accurate reflection of logging my thoughts, of course, as I’ve been typing up weekly notes–many…
-
Past The Patch: In Our Blood
Past The Patch: In Our Blood SPOTLIGHTING MELANIE It seems most first responders have some form of connection to the field before jumping in feet first. Melanie did, too. “My parents actually started dating at the firehouse.” The eldest of two, Melanie grew up as the daughter of a Deputy Fire Chief and an EMS…
-
‘From Millersville To Movie Screen’: Featured By My Alma Mater!
Coming Full Circle With Paper Birds Honored to have been featured today in this piece published by my alma mater, Millersville University of Pennsylvania! Special thanks to Hannah who did a phenomenal job putting this together. Getting to talk about the impact undergrad research has had on me–especially my time spent working on Paper Birds–is…
-
Leaning In Instead Of Away: An Insightful Emotional Release
‘You Gotta Feel It To Heal It’ So sometime last week, I was having a weird day at work. Since starting EMDR therapy (an intensive form of trauma treatment) last April, I’ve begun to get more and more in touch with my body and how things physically feel. I think—and this is definitely how I…
-
Curious & Connected: Learning About the Brain-Body Connection, Together
Are You Looking For Community? Hey guys! I have a really great resource coming that I’m excited to share: Now introducing “Curious & Connected”. Are you looking for community? Join us for Curious & Connected, a virtual support group led by molecular biologist, Mona Easterling, exploring the brain-body connection. Together, we’ll deepen our understanding of…
-
“I’ve Never Been To Iceland”: A Piece of Prose About Living with PTSD In Your 20s
Hey guys! Bit of a depressing prose I wrote last night but I wanted to share (trigger warning for mention of sexual assault). For a really long time I’ve wondered how to capture what life with PTSD is like, more specifically, how it feels to navigate in your 20s. Spoiler alert: it’s kind of rough!…
-
Past the Patch: Finding Our Place In The World
Finding Our Place In The World SPOTLIGHTING DONOVAN AUGUST The world is a pretty big place, but for Donovan August, it didn’t always feel that way. “I went to a one-room Amish-Mennonite school that only went to the 8th grade and I homeschooled myself though high school.” Donovan, a non-binary transmasculine person, was raised in…
-
Past the Patch: Back In the Driver’s Seat
Back In The Driver’s Seat SPOTLIGHTING JEREMY Off to the right of a short tree lined street tucked between two neighborhoods in Lititz, PA sits a small park: a place of the Earth carved out for people looking for peace and quiet. But the serene sounds of a humble stream and the soft sway of…
A.C. Brooke 