Joy lives here by Christy Abram I won't go... They told me I have to... I dug my heels deep in the earth to escape his strength ... Stop...you can't take me..I won't go... Crooked smiles passed as he led the way... I resisted sprouting obscenities and pulling at his scratchy coat... I won't go, [...]
From Thug to Advocate Growing up in inner city Washington D.C. hearing gun shots was an everyday thing. In the early ‘90s D.C. was like a war zone and violence was something that I had grown accustomed to throughout my childhood. My changing point came when I was 14 years old in 1996. My brother [...]
Not Just Soldiers I've said this before and I'll keep saying it you don't have to be a soldier to develop PTSD there's a long list of things that can cause PTSD combat is just one of them we also have witnessing death or injury, sexual assault, accidents like car crash, natural disasters, child sexual [...]
I feel compelled to share my story for two reasons. One, because I am tired of being quiet; I have been suffering in silence for a very long time and I want to be heard. And two, in hopes that it will help somebody, because I believe a lot of people find themselves in similar [...]
PTSD: The Illness I Couldn’t See I grew up thinking an “illness” was either fever or croup. Illness was a stuffy nose – a sick-day, an excuse to miss a day of school. At 18 years old, “illness” took on an entirely different meaning. Illness meant waking up from a coma, learning that my stomach [...]
In October of 2004, I was the first police officer on the scene of a fatal motor vehicle collision. Within the first few minutes of being at the scene, I quickly discovered that the seriously injured driver was a close friend. He died in my arms as I was performing CPR on him. I coped [...]
I am honoured to have been recently asked by the international, non-profit organization Stigma Fighters to share my mental health story with them and their followers. The only requirement being that it be told in 1000 words or less…gulp…I’m always up for a challenge! I hope that by sharing my story with fellow mental illness [...]
I am my own greatest gift to the world!! Please read those words carefully and take them all in before judging. I say that as much to myself as to anyone else. Because it's taken me years of therapy, analysis, soul-searching, shaman-style self healing, and connecting to spirituality to finally figure it out- I AM [...]
I'm 41 years old and grew up as an only child in a family where violence, neglect, drugs and verbal abuse had a big impact on our lives. My father was addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs and was violent and abusive. He was also loving, creative, passionate, a wonderful musician and always wanted to [...]
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) vs. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG): Focusing on Symptoms vs. Resiliency in Survivors of Trauma I’m no expert. I may be a counselor-in-training, completing my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at CACREP-accredited Messiah College Graduate School, but I’m not the authority on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). Here’s [...]
