The holidays can be extremely difficult when you are dealing with addiction, abuse, and trauma. It’s the time of year when I need to double down on my self-care efforts. With that in mind here are the very best Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc. Deals that I can find! I’ll keep this…
Finding Balance
7 Tips for Living a Mindful Life
I believe that recovery for the traumatized and the addict is completely impossible without mindfulness. We can’t heal things that we do not understand. Last night we were watching an episode of Once Upon a Time that is set in Neverland. Emma, the story’s main heroine, is presented with a map by Peter Pan. She…
Four Compelling Reasons to Keep a Journal
I have found journaling to be an essential part of my healing from betrayal trauma and PTSD. Journals help me to process emotions, organize my thoughts, and keep myself grounded in truth. Let’s be honest, keeping a journal my not sound like the most exciting thing you can do for your healing. For years I’ve…
Embracing Your Shero’s Journey
I’m a HUGE fan of all the Marvel/Avengers movies that have come out in the last few years. I’m a total sucker for a good superhero story. I especially love how each of the characters have pretty big flaws that make them human. As a kid I used to love playing superheroes with my friends….
Determined to Rise Retreat for Betrayal Trauma Sheroes
On August 13th, 2018 I did the scariest thing I have ever done. I hit publish on the most vulnerable blog post I have ever written, Sex Addiction and Betrayal Trauma- My Story I sat on that post for almost a year before I hit publish. I know God wanted me to publish it. I…
Sailing the Storms of Motherhood as an Introvert
What are the differences between an extrovert and an introvert? How does being introverted affect your motherhood? Want to read Jamie Martin’s new book The Introverted Mom? Don’t miss the giveaway at the end of this post! I have never been accused of being shy. I was the kid who could be friends with anyone….
Head Above Water- How the Codependent Model Perpetuates Abuse
Your symptoms are not signs of a codependent mental disorder. You are suffering from betrayal trauma induced PTSD. Society needs to see and treat the victims as victims, not co-addicts. The codependency model is abuse. The Relationship Begins One day a young woman was standing on the shore of a big lake with her sweetheart….
I am a Misfit
How often have you felt alone, unappreciated, or just plain weird? I know I do, a LOT!! When you feel like a misfit you often tend to turn that into feelings of inadequacy. “I’m not good enough because I don’t do…..”, or self doubt “should I be doing this instead of that?” Sometimes being a…
Serenity Prayer Zentangle Doodle Drawing
What is Zentangle? I have recently discovered and fallen in love with doodle drawings also commonly called Zentangle or doodle drawing. This type of art has been around since the beginning of man, but has recently experienced a resurgence in popularity due to Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas giving it the name Zentangle and dictating…
Creating and Enforcing Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
To say being married to an addict is difficult would be the understatement of the year. Let’s face it, even without addiction relationships are hard work. Setting and maintaining healthy boundaries is crucial to finding health and happiness both for the addict and their betrayed spouse. When I first heard the word boundaries I was…