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Childhood Trauma

How to Change Toxic, Self-Attacking Thoughts into Healthier Ones


A common problem that people struggle with is self-attacking thought patterns and beliefs that are harmful and discouraging. Before we talk about healthier ways of thinking, we need to understand the origins of these beliefs.
The Origins of Self-Attack
Our conceptualization of who we are begins when we are children. As children, we are new to the world, our brain is still developing, and our survival and well-being is dependent on our caregivers. Therefore, our self-image is formed by...

Childhood Trauma

Abusive Things Narcissists and Other Abusers Think Are Okay to Do


Narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths, manipulators, predators, abuse apologists, and other people with dark personality traits have a warped sense of normalcy. They either think that abnormal and immoral behavior and thoughts are normal—or they think that it’s only okay when they act abhorrently to others, but, of course, not when others do it to them.

The former is explained by their lack of morality and abusive tendencies, while the latter is because they believe that they are exceptional,...

Communication

8 Ways Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Toxic People Blend into Society

It’s Prevalent
People with strong narcissistic, sociopathic, psychopathic, and other dark traits have been studied and observed for a very long time. There are many articles and books analyzing both their behavior and their psyche.

And yet, there are still many people with strong narcissistic, sociopathic, psychopathic, and other dark traits. Most people have worked with or around somebody like that, been raised by or around somebody like that, or have been in a close relationship with somebody like that. Everyone has probably had the misfortune of dealing with somebody like that in one capacity or another.

Addiction

How Childhood Trauma Teaches Us to Dissociate

What is dissociation?
Dissociation, sometimes also referred to as disassociation, is a term commonly used in psychology that refers to a detachment from your surroundings, and/or physical and emotional experiences. Dissociation is a defense mechanism that stems from trauma, inner conflict, and other forms of stress, or even boredom.

Childhood Trauma

How a Traumatic Childhood Leads to Emptiness and Taking on Unwanted Roles


In my professional and personal life, I have met and observed an overwhelming number of people who have grown up in difficult environments. As children, all of us have probably experienced some sort of trauma that has had a long-term effect on us. For some, it’s some significant life events. For others, it’s a general, undefined mood that they feel stuck in and are unable to clearly define (, general, chronic anxiety). For many of us,...

Addiction

Are You Coping and Managing or Healing and Growing?

The most common question I’ve heard, in person and in emails or comments, is this: “I have these serious problems. How do I fix them?” Or a variation of it, like this: “I read your article on [problem X]. It’s very accurate, but what do I do about it?”

In today’s article, I will try to explain why it is so difficult to answer this question. We will also look at the various ways people try to deal with their psychological problems, and the core differences between them.