Healing Journey

I created this site because when I needed information and firsthand survival experiences of something that wasn't intimate partner violence, I couldn't find anything that applied to me. While I was only searching for information, I also concluded that many victims are forced into silence because they are afraid of the repercussions of speaking up about their abuse. It is only after studying the ins and outs of coercive control and how DARVO works that I realized how much of a

When I took Abnormal Psychology at Delta Community College it wasn't long before I was questioning whether or not I had every disorder in the book that I had never even considered that I might have or heard of before. When the book stated something along the lines of "most people diagnose themselves with various disorders while reading this book" I breathed a huge sigh of relief

Today I’d like to write a bit of an update and to reassure everyone that I’m not gone. Diary of a Flopping Fish is still moving along, thought it is going quite slowly. As I have written about before, it if very hard to balance other obligations and expectations while still have enough left in […]

Well, I can’t believe it’s been nine years since I signed up with WordPress and launched this blog. I’d love to say time flies when you’re having fun, but honestly, it’s more accurate to say that sometimes, time just flies. The Beginning When I started this blog, I wasn’t sure what it would become—I was […]

Surrounded by Boxes Today I write surrounded by boxes full of things that are all attached to memories and events that occurred throughout my boyfriend and I’s lives. It is amazing how many things we can collect, and memories that come flooding back from them. What’s even more amazing is that all these memories attached […]

How I went from burnout and CPTSD to graduating college online with high honors — and what I learned along the way.

Much of what keeps humans motivated to heal and improve their lives is trying to reach a goal. When we are suffering, and being held back by dysfunctional people in our lives, it is daring to dream that often brings us out of the darkness.

I hate to be a drag, and I know that it’s supposed to be a cheery time, but honestly it is stressful and sad. As we all do, I try to hold on to the good things about the holidays and let them make up for all the bad.

The process of healing feels like watching plants grow; progress is slow and all you want is the fruit that comes at the end.

Part of the reason why recovery is so hard is because it requires us to completely rewire ourselves, change all our habits, overcome things that we didn’t even know were a trauma response.

We look at the news and see war, famine, and police brutality. It is clear that the world is in pain, yet we are all too small, too insignificant, to do anything about it. We’re told to focus on the things that we can control, as the other route will eventually drive us mad. One by one, we all end up looking at some form of self-help so that we can improve ourselves to get rid of those terrible qualities that we saw in others. Many times, we are reacting to something in other

If you’re reading this, it is likely because you are trying to come to an understanding about your trauma. Many resources identify the symptoms of different disorders and how to diagnose them, yet there is a limited number of resources on what healing would be like when you begin the journey.

This article explores ideas on how trauma transfers a person, and embracing and learning from that transformation can aid post traumatic growth.

Plenty of books and websites provide ideas on how to change bad habits, but what about changing your life instead? Who we are can generally be boiled down into a series of habits. We might see prominent habits in someone, like indecisiveness, but the trait is made up of several smaller habits. Addictions are habits, but the kind that take over your life and permeate every part of it. Sometimes the issue is not addiction, but a person’s self-destructive mindset.