What Is Religious Trauma Syndrome?

What is religious trauma syndrome (RTS)? This is a term for the trauma disorder that develops as a result of suffering mental or physical abuse in religious environments or under the guise of religion. Because religion is often very personal and has a strong structure for authority, it has been used by certain individuals and communities as a means by which to wield power over others. Like toxic political or cultural systems, toxic religious systems can cause a great deal of personal and social harm. However, those who have survived this toxicity can recover, even to the point of rediscovering and thriving in healthy spiritual beliefs.  Read More

Failed Adoptions: Mental Health Aftermath

All of us know someone who has navigated the adoption process. In fact, according to a study published by the Children’s Bureau at the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF), nearly 59,000 children were adopted in 2020. Consequently, the number of children waiting to be adopted also fell in 2020 to 117,000. By all accounts, the system appears to be working. What you don’t hear about, however, is the number of failed adoptions every year. American Adoptions, one of the country’s leading domestic adoption agencies estimates the failed adoption rate to be anywhere from 15-20% for domestic placements. This disruption can be devastating not only for the adoptive family, but for the adoptee, proving traumatic for all involved. Read More

Breaking Down The Model: Part IV -Relational Problems and Recovery

In this last installment of Breaking Down The Model, we will explore Relational problems that have been caused by trauma, immaturity and secondary symptoms. Relational problems can stem from any extreme in any of The Core Issues, as well as from the secondary symptoms. In other words, due to trauma, immaturity and the secondary symptoms, we can develop relational problems. Let's explore each of the relational problems. Read More

Breaking Down the Model: Part I – History of the Model and the Nature of the Child

By: Joyce Willis, MC, LPC The Model of Developmental Immaturity can be traced back to its creator, Pia Mellody. In the 1970s, while working at The Meadows, she was encountering an increasing number of patients who identified less-than-nurturing or abusive family systems in their childhood — leading to… Read More

Teen Treatment’s Troubled History

Teen treatment has been in the news recently, and not for good reasons. Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Jenny Pentland, and Paris Jackson are among those who have come forward with stories from their time in treatment facilities and reform schools that were supposed to help troubled teens. They're stories not of hope and healing, but of trauma and abuse. Read More

Trauma Goes Mainstream

No longer a cultural taboo, there have been a number of celebrity mental health advocates who have opened up about their struggles so that others can feel less alone. Read More

When Hidden Grief Gets Triggered During COVID-19 Confinement

How to Use These Days to Heal Old Wounds Rather than Reenact Them Our sense of loss during the current COVID-19 crisis can trigger hidden emotions from when we experienced a sense of loss before. Whatever early losses you have had in your life — whether they be your… Read More

Why Loving What You Have Can Feel Scary for Those Who’ve Had Adverse Childhood Experiences

To ring in the New Year, I could quote statistics of how certain feelings benefit your cholesterol levels and pump up your immune system and extend your life by 2.3 years. We could discuss that science has proven that appreciation begets happiness and happiness is healthy. But you’ve already heard… Read More

Trauma’s Rising Public Profile

By Wesley Gallagher Trauma—it’s a big word with many connotations. Terms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have entered the American lexicon, tied to news of terrorist attacks or stories of combat soldiers. But trauma is something that is experienced in big and small ways by people in all… Read More

How Psychodrama Heals Trauma

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, touted by Oprah Winfrey as one of the most important studies of our time, has successfully made the connection between emotional and psychological childhood trauma and physical health problems later in life. In other words, what begins in the mind alters the body’s… Read More