All posts filed under: Trauma

Why Your Out-of-Control Sex Drive Could Be a Product of Trauma

I recently came across a study that established interconnections between trauma, the self-conscious emotions (i.e., guilt and shame), and hypersexuality. The tendency towards hypersexuality appears especially strong among male trauma survivors. A summary of the findings from the study can be found here. The study’s findings stirred up a few interesting questions in me. First, what is it about experiences of trauma that evoke guilt and shame–emotions that make us question the stability of our social bonds and membership? Second, what is an easy way to tell that certain expressions of sexuality may be unhealthy responses to trauma? And third, why would hypersexuality be a common way of coping with the guilt and shame associated with trauma? Why Guilt and Shame The fact that guilt and shame are so closely linked to trauma is a bit of a head scratcher at first glance. For one, traumatic experiences are so varied. Each “type” of traumatic experience has its own emotional nuances so it seems a bit odd that guilt and shame would be so consistently linked …

What is forgiveness and why is it important? Part 1

Published by Bex April May

Forgiveness: it’s something we talk about a lot, but is much easier said than done. While our emotions around forgiving and the wrongs leading up to it can be some of the most traumatic in life, forgiveness can also be one of the single most important ways to process and grow from our experiences. It’s also completely in your control – and can allow you to take total ownership of a situation, no matter how hurt you have been by it. In this exclusive series, we’ll investigate different facets of forgiveness through the eyes of qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, relationship experts, marriage counselors, couples therapists, and spirituality experts to help you better understand forgiveness, and how to effectively apply it to your own circumstances. What is true forgiveness? So, let’s start at the beginning: how do you define ‘forgiveness’? As award-winning licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Dr Michael Kinsey, Ph.D., explains, there are several layers to defining the term as we understand it in psychology. “The etymology of forgiveness is quite interesting,” Dr Kinsey says, “First, …

The Body Keeps the Score Review, Bessel Van Der Kolk

Mindsplain Book Review: “The Body Keeps the Score”

Published by Martyna Bobek

Book Title: The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Author: Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. Publisher: Penguin Books Year Published: 2015 Number of Pages: 464 Purchase: Amazon.com What is ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ About? The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain, and Body in the Transformation of Trauma transforms our understanding of traumatic stress. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a leading expert on trauma, applies modern scientific approaches to reveal just how trauma reshapes both the body and the brain. With over 30 years of research and working with survivors, Van der Kolk teaches us how our bodies confine us to the past despite any effort of the mind to leave it behind. While powerfully arguing that trauma is one of the world’s most urgent public health issues, he explores innovative treatments that offer new pathways to recovery by utilizing the brain’s natural ability to heal. Key Takeaways from ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ Trauma is universal and occurs more frequently than we tend to think. One doesn’t have …

Mindsplain Book Review: “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog”

Published by Martyna Bobek

What’s “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog” About? The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog is a series of stories from a child psychiatrist, Dr. Bruce Perry, who applies his brain development and neuroscience expertise to study how traumatic experiences shape children’s behavior. Each chapter utilizes vivid yet straightforward illustrations to describe his former patients who have endured violence, abuse, and neglect. Simultaneously, Dr. Perry engages his readers to join him on a journey in understanding exactly what happens to the brain if a child is exposed to extreme stress. Readers will find their hearts swelled with compassion, empathy, and ultimately, hope. Key Takeaways from The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog The brain is capable of change despite severe trauma. In other words, healing is possible. Understanding this can provide even the smallest glimmer of hope throughout the darkest of times. The responses of traumatized children are frequently misunderstood. Dr. Perry shares stories in which family homes experience a similar theme-chaos and unpredictability. Given so, kids may respond with fear …

Can Trauma Affect Your Voice? An Interview with Elisa Monti, PhD

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

In this Interview with experimental psychologist Elisa Monti, PhD, we examine the relationship between traumatic experiences and the human voice.

Adolf the Cat: A Story About Trauma

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Below is an excerpt from the article entitled: “Something Wicked This Way Comes: Trauma, Dissociation, and Conflict: The Space Where Psychoanalysis, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience Overlap” by Philip Bromberg, a leading figure in the world of trauma and psychoanalysis. I share it to add texture and depth to the term trauma–a term often tossed around without precision or a shared understanding. I’ll present some takeaways at the end of the post. However, the story stands alone as a parable about trauma. When I was a kid, an endless source of fascination was looking out of my bedroom window at our backyard garden to silently observe the mysterious interactions between the animals, birds, trees, bushes and flowers. But like the Garden of Eden, it received periodic visits from an infamous inhabitant of our neighborhood: A cat who was referred to by everyone in the vicinity as Adolf (I was a World War II kid). Adolf was an aggressive, predatory, seemingly fearless animal, whose viciousness and mean-temperedness terrorized the other neighborhood cats as well as most of …

6 Existential Anxieties That Could Be the Cause of Your Panic Attacks

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Panic attacks are among the most common and most distressing symptoms I see as a therapist. Not only do people encounter some of their most primitive existential fears, such as feeling like they are dying or going crazy, panic sufferers also have to deal with the repetitive (and often unpredictable) nature of panic, and the fact that others cannot fully appreciate the intensity of the experience. Search the web and you’ll find a ton of strategies to deal with panic attacks. In my opinion, very few (none in fact that I have found) adequately address different types of panic attacks. While I do not explicitly address tips for dealing with panic here, I believe we can optimize our coping strategies for anxiety attacks by first identifying what the panic is and what it is signifying. I identify six types of panic that I have observed in clinical practice below. I do not accept that panic attacks “come out of nowhere.” While cues may not be easily identifiable, experience has taught me that there is ALWAYS …

Trigger Warning: Four Reasons to Remove the Word “Triggered” from Your Lexicon

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

The word “triggered,” which I used to hear only in mental health circles, has now fully permeated everyday language. What was once a term created to refer to the behavioral response (e.g., dissociation, panic, flashbacks) to cues resembling a specific, circumscribed, traumatic event, has evolved into having at least three additional common uses. First, the evocation of a painful emotion: “I was really triggered when she interrupted me and started talking about herself.” Second, a derivative of the first with a more narrow application, the elicitation of offense or political outrage: “The way the terms “poor people” and “racial minorities” were used interchangeably was highly triggering.” Third, its reappropriation for satirical use: “Stay triggered snowflakes” is Tomi Lahren’s, the provocative conservative political pundit, catchphrase. I confess to feeling annoyed with all of these uses, including the original use of the word. When the opportunity presents, I steer clients away from using this term, for reasons (beyond my own annoyance) I will explain. In no particular order, I list my reasons for cringing at the word …