WHAT MAKES TRAUMA TRAUMA?

WHAT MAKES TRAUMA TRAUMA?

The word trauma comes from a Greek word meaning “wound.” A traumatic experience wounds the mind. It changes the physical structure of the brain, just as a broken arm changes the physical structure of the bone. WHAT MAKES SOMETHING TRAUMATIC?Two dynamics interact in...
WHY ENGAGING YOUR STORY HEALS YOUR BRAIN

WHY ENGAGING YOUR STORY HEALS YOUR BRAIN

So it turns out that the practice of reflecting on the story of your life actually promotes healing in your brain. There are two reasons for this: 1. Brain health is a function of the degree to which all parts of your brain are connected with one another. 2. The...
AMBIVALENT ATTACHMENT

AMBIVALENT ATTACHMENT

A child will develop an ambivalent attachment when she experiences her primary caregiver as inconsistent and, at times, intrusive. When the child becomes distressed, her caregiver may—or may not—provide soothing and comfort. It all depends on what is going on for the...
AVOIDANT ATTACHMENT

AVOIDANT ATTACHMENT

“We can grow up in homes in which the food finds the table, the money finds the college funds, and the family even finds the church each Sunday; but somehow our hearts remain undiscovered by the two people we most need to know us—our parents.”  Curt...
ATTACHMENT: WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT MATTERS

ATTACHMENT: WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT MATTERS

Neuroscientist Curt Thompson is fond of saying that when each one of us comes into this world, we enter it looking for someone looking for us. Our deepest desire and highest hope is that there will be someone looking for us, and that this person will always be there...