Being a “Nice Girl” and the Fawn Response One of my supervisees said something to me once that I haven’t stopped repeating since: “nice girls end up in trunks.” She wasn’t being dramatic. She was naming something super real; something a lot of us learned the hard way. We learned the habit of being endlessly […]
Why Hope Isn’t an Outcome, It’s an Anchor
What is Hope and How is it Not a Swear Word? Hope is one of the most overused and misunderstood words in healing spaces, yet it holds surprising depth when we stop tying it to outcomes and start treating it as a way of seeing. Today we’re exploring hope as a lens grounded in reality: […]
Why Mindfulness Practice Matters for Trauma Healing
Many people try mindfulness practice and feel worse, not better. They sit still, notice their heart race or their thoughts go willy nilly, and decide they’re failing. The truth is so much kinder (and more accurate): your nervous system is doing its job. When you’ve lived with chronic stress, abuse, or ongoing uncertainty, your body […]
Spiritual Grooming: When Faith is Twisted Into Control
by Gwen Soat, LCMHCA Spiritual Grooming Faith holds immense power in someone’s life. It is often the most intimate and soul-binding experience. The church is meant to be a place of safety, trust, and meaning. When predators use this soul-focused trust to control and harm, a person’s relationship with themselves, with others, and with God […]
Is it Anxiety or Trauma? How to Tell the Difference
The Trauma or Anxiety Whack-a-mole You’ve probably typed “Do I have anxiety?” into a search bar before. Just me? Because I sure have! Maybe your heart races, your thoughts spin, or you find yourself restless and on edge. Anxiety is one of the most common struggles. And yet, what looks like anxiety on the surface […]