Traumatic Holidays Can Set You Back

Traumatic experiences can keep you feeling trapped and bound in a state of emotional dysregulation — which can worsen #PTSD or any #familytrauma you may have endured.

The holidays and family can be a beautiful combination. Who doesn’t want to celebrate such a beautiful holiday with their family? But what do you do when you can’t experience this or you don’t feel as close to your family as you would like.

Being re-traumatized (or experiencing more trauma) can occur when you are in the company of anyone who:

– increase your anxiety,

-causes you to feel depressed,

-triggers negative thoughts and emotions,

-triangulates and manipulates the environment around you, and

-displays a cold indifference or lack of empathy.

For most people with difficult family the simple remedy is to either avoid the holidays or avoid the family you feel compelled to be with during the holidays. In this video, I discuss how to avoid the family trauma that could cause you to regress in the progress you have likely made on your journey away from unhealthy family.