This Week’s Resources for Catholic Trauma Survivors

1. Speaking of fireworks, give a little thought to your local vets this NYE before you light up the fireworks. [Side note–if you have PTSD or CPTSD not connected to incendiary devices but you still experience fireworks as terrifying… that’s okay. Our bodies have been wired to survive by assuming worst case scenario. You don’t need to have active combat experience for it to be okay to give yourself a generous helping of self-compassion and maybe buy some noise-cancelling earphones or do something that will give you cozy feelings rather than terror feelings.]
2. This week, I got to post at Catholic Mom about Christmas, Holy Saturday, and the joy and grief of watching the kids get ready to fly the nest: The Twin Sisters, Joy and Grief.
3. Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is at Catholic Mom writing about being alert for occasions of gratitude even in the midst of difficulty.
4. Many of us have had to make (or are in the process of making) the painful decision to go no contact in an important relationship. The Good Men Project has reflections on questions we ask ourselves about What Happens When I Go No Contact.
5. A huge part of trauma recovery happens when we learn to accept the present moment as it is without wanting to change it or rush off to the next supposedly better thing. AnnAliese Harry is at Catholic Mom writing about how to stay present in A Blink of an Eye.
6. Anecdotally, it looks like there has been an overall decline in mental health since, oh, about 1973. Maybe having fewer people around to be our friends and support network, not to mention creating a culture where voices can be silenced forever for the crime of making a biological parent uncomfortable, is creating a greater culture of mental and emotional destruction, C-PTSD, and overall disconnection. Maybe support a culture of life?
7. Ending with your weekly reminder that All Things New: Breaking the Cycle and Raising a Joyful Family is available for purchase. Already read your copy? Leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads (please, leave a review–it takes courage, but it helps the people who need the message find it), and don’t forget to link up with this month’s An Open Book from Carolyn Astfalk & Catholic Mom.

Plain visual rather than AV this week, and posting it because it’s still Christmas in the Catholic world, but here is how the Rudolph movie should have ended.

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers.