by Courtenay Monfore | Aug 3, 2020 | Blog, Brainspotting, Relationships, Trauma
You get upset. He blows up. She shuts down. The next day you can’t even remember why it bothered you so much. We’ve all been there, even therapists (we’re no more immune than anyone else). Here’s what I tell my clients about trauma and relationships, and the ways it...
by Courtenay Monfore | Apr 27, 2020 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Relationships, Therapy, Trauma
There is no shortage of ways past trauma can show up in your present world. A scent or sound can trigger a flashback or a brief conversation with an abusive relative who is still in your life can knock you off course for days. Your heightened reactive experiences as a...
by Courtenay Monfore | Mar 2, 2020 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy, Trauma
Feeling your feelings is one of the healthiest things you can do. At any age, in any life stage, you can change. Whether you’re 77 years old or 17, you can learn, grow, adopt new habits, and make new choices to create a life you truly love. It may not always feel that...
by Courtenay Monfore | Nov 4, 2019 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy, Trauma
“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” Haruki Murakami We all know from popular drama (TV shows, movies, etc.) that traumatic events are often forgotten by the person who suffers from them. People who experience a devastating event such...
by Courtenay Monfore | Oct 7, 2019 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy, Trauma
Romantic relationships are inherently complicated. When you’re dating someone with PTSD, more emotional baggage is involved in the relationship. In fact, one of the most damaging aspects of this disorder is the effect it has on social interactions and in...
by Courtenay Monfore | Sep 16, 2019 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy, Trauma
“I’ve been fine for years. Now I have nightmares every night and can barely function at work. What’s going on?” “I thought I was over it. I even went to therapy as a kid! Why is it all coming back again?” “I feel like I’m falling apart, but the abuse was years ago....
by Courtenay Monfore | Jul 29, 2019 | Brainspotting, Therapy, Trauma
We all know that rejection hurts, but neuroscience has concluded that it does in fact, literally, hurt. While the brain does not process emotional pain and physical pain identically, the reaction and cascading events are very similar, and a natural chemical...
by Courtenay Monfore | Jul 1, 2019 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy, Trauma
Philosophers and theologians have been speaking and writing about the search for meaning in life for thousands of years. And most of us reach a point where we want more than to go through the motions of living. That means identifying our values so we can live a...
by Courtenay Monfore | Apr 1, 2019 | Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy
Toxic people wreak havoc on our lives, our bodies and our brains. The reasons we love bad boys/girls and emotionally unavailable partners is not just emotional and psychological – they are downright biochemical. The truth of the matter is, our brains can be rewired to...
by Courtenay Monfore | Feb 11, 2019 | Anxiety, Blog, Brainspotting, Therapy
