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

Breaking Down the Model: Part II – Core Issues

By: Joyce Willis, MC, LPC In Part I of “Breaking Down the Model, the “Nature of the Child” column was discussed. We discussed the history of Pia Mellody’s Model of Developmental Immaturity and how it is incorporated into the Meadows Model and treatment at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare programs. We… Read More

When Abuse Claims are Tried in Public

Considering how shockingly commonplace domestic abuse is, there’s probably a case, or a number of cases, being reviewed in court somewhere as you read this. Nearly 20 people every minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). That breaks down to more than 10 million women and men in any given year. While the bulk of these cases, and the resulting trials, won’t garner any special media coverage, millions were reminded how domestic abuse is no respecter of gender, income bracket, or celebrity status with the much-publicized Johnny Depp, Amber Heard trial. Read More

Mother’s Day Grief

If you find yourself in a love-hate relationship with the second Sunday in May, you’re not alone. Not even close, according to HuffPost reporting. Mother’s Day grief is real, and it looks a little different for everyone. Read More

Internal Family Systems: What Is It?

By Beau Black Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a treatment strategy developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that helps people process inner trauma by identifying and embracing various inner “parts” of themselves. These parts, which Schwartz observed in psychotherapy sessions with his patients,… Read More

Complex Trauma: The 3 Phases of Recovery

By Beau Black Complex trauma is a term used for repeated, chronic emotional pain or abuse, often suffered in childhood or adolescence. It can cause long-term problems that are similar in some ways, but distinct in others, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and also from “regular” trauma. But there… Read More

COVID’s Impact on Mental Health Issues in Children and Adolescents

By Wesley Gallagher The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of nearly everyone in the world over the last year and a half. While it has impacted people differently, no corner of the world was immune to the coronavirus and the implications of a worldwide epidemic. Thankfully, we are seeing… Read More

Pursuing Post-Traumatic Growth

By Melissa Riddle Chalos There’s nothing like a full-on, worldwide pandemic to bring life as we know it to a crashing, hard stop. We were moving along at a nice clip, working our jobs, going to school, raising our families and then, boom! The entire world stopped on a dime. Read More

What Is Racialized Trauma?: Resmaa Menakem and the Work of Racial Healing

By Wesley Gallagher As a young child, Resmaa Menakem used to sit with his grandmother on the couch and rub her hands. One day as he studied them, he asked her why they were so thick and rough compared to the rest of her tiny, delicate body. What she told… Read More

Will COVID Cause a Mental Health Crisis?

By now we all know the drill: Wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance, stay home. Has our country ever been more health-conscious? The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to focus on our physical health in order to avoid getting sick or passing on the virus unsuspectingly. But now health experts are warning about a new crisis heading our way. Read More