Leaving a relationship isn’t just about ending something, it’s often the first step in rebuilding your sense of self. Yet making that decision can be one of the most emotionally challenging and complex processes we face. Questions like “Am I giving up, or protecting myself?” and “Is this selfishness or...
Trauma is more than the events we endure; it’s the lasting imprint those events leave on our brain and nervous system. As Bessel van der Kolk notes, traumatic experiences become encoded in the body’s “memory,” manifesting as chronic anxiety, sudden rage, freezing responses, or a constant state of alertness...