Masks are a necessity right now in high-risk situations. While most people can wear a mask with no problem, many children, teens, and even adults who suffer from trauma, anxiety, panic disorder, or sensory processing issues find mask-wearing to be an extremely distressful experience. Of course, everyone understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the lives of virtually every person in the nation, but as the pressure (and necessity) to wear masks continues to increase, more...

Over the last six months, I started going to therapy again. I have over two years sober, yet I have yet to fully deal with the emotional trauma I experienced as a child. I remember being in treatment and being warned that If I didn't start to identify and cope with my emotions, it would come back to haunt me later in sobriety. Once again, the professionals were right. Three months before celebrating my second year sober, I started experiencing these intense depressive episodes . Although...

Between 55 and 99 percent of women who attend addiction treatment and between 85 and 95 percent of women with a history of mental illness have a history of trauma. Among this trauma , the vast majority happened during childhood. Whether the trauma involves neglect, sexual assault, or dysfunction within the family, the need for trauma-informed care in both addiction treatment and in the mental health field is of great importance. When I found myself at a detox facility 1,300 miles away from...

From a young age, I was rebellious and stubborn. I come from a household where everything had to be perfect. I needed to make good grades, go to college, get married, and be successful. It’s not that I didn’t want all of this for myself, but I was more interested in escaping my emotions and having fun than I was in being responsible and successful. Drinking and using drugs was fun for me in the beginning, but at the end of my senior year of high school my drug addiction took a dark turn. I...