hope

Trauma Survivor Resource Round-up

Letting The Trauma Flow Through

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Some things just process better if we let them flow through instead of backing up. Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image: Unsplash.com
  1. Are highly sensitive and more empathic people more prone to being gaslit/gaslighted?
  2. Could there be a link between ADHD and compulsive overeating?
  3. What does it really mean to turn the other cheek, and should I? (Caveat: I don’t agree with 100% of these ideas. For instance, while my anger might be justified, sharing that anger with people who are not willing to repair their side of relationships has always been a waste of my very valuable energy.)
  4. Feeling like you don’t belong? Louisa Ann Irene Ikena has a piece at Catholic Mom telling you You are SO meant to be here!
  5. What is the effect of stress on the adolescent brain’s triple network? And, erm, what is a triple network?
  6. What to know about eating disorders at midlife and beyond.
  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.

This week’s AV: do a little bit of nature meditation with me. Here’s a video of the header image from Great Falls National Park, just outside of Washington, DC.

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

Trauma Survivor Resource Round-up

Trauma Waves, Healing Shores

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Is your tide coming in or going out? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image: Unsplash.com
  1. Is someone telling you you’re crazy? Are you starting to believe that might be true? Read Gaslighting: Relationship Politics Explained.
  2. Can you be addicted not to a substance but addicted to a behavior?
  3. Virtual treatment for eating disorders shows potential here.
  4. Curious about this: Theology of the Fat Body.
  5. A survivor of sa by a Catholic priest comes home to the Catholic Church.
  6. “But, Erin, I don’t have trauma!” How to tell if you’ve been emotionally abused by your parents.
  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.

This week’s AV: my experience with the overturn of Roe v. Wade

@erinmccolecupp

2 parts mayo, 1 part ea sugar & vinegar; add to shredded cabbage & carrots, top w dried cranberries #chefskiss #fyp #foryoupage #trending #roevwade #potluck #dobbs

♬ original sound – fiona’s gf

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

Trauma Survivor Resource Round-up

Trauma Time, Healing Hours

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Where are you in your blooming process? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image: Unsplash.com
  1. There was a recent conference in California that focused on mental health promotion by church leadership.
  2. “Low contact is for when things are going badly, but you hope that with boundaries,  perhaps a relationship is achievable. No contact is actually a loving response. It is for when you accept that the other person is unwilling or unable to change, and therefore,  there is no hope for a healthy relationship because it will never happen.  No contact IS biblical, but the Christian response is to come to this conclusion in prayer. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an excellent help.” What does the Bible say about going no contact?
  3. Mental health moderates our desires, including the immoderate desire of gluttony.
  4. How can you help a friend with an eating disorder?
  5. Healing trauma from the mother wound.
  6. When is it good to take a child to a therapist?
  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.

This week’s AV: Imagine Dragons’ “No Time for Toxic People.” It’s a beautiful day. Keep it that way.

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

Trauma Survivor Resource Round-up (Now Catholic-flavored)

Trauma Time, Healing Hours

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Need more than a sign? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image © Erin McCole Cupp 2022
  1. Scroller, beware: I’m not sure if Christopher West originated this quote or not, but I’ve heard him say on his podcast with his lovely wife Wendy that “The devil doesn’t have his own clay.” I try to use social media, especially Insta, to spread good news. Alas, IG also has a problem with pro-eating disorder accounts.
  2. Catholic Mom’s Louisa Ann Irene Ikena has an inspiring piece for those of us who think that trauma has made our lives shorter and less worth living: 100: My Betty White Decision.
  3. They say every day should be Mother’s Day, right? Well, good, because that means it’s never too late to post Christi Braschler’s Mother’s Day for a Work in Progress. Full disclosure: she mentions my book All Things New.
  4. If you read my last post on niche-ing down, you’ll understand why I’m posting more stuff about eating disorders. The UK is on the path to discovering evidence that calorie count menus may cause more harm than their intended good.
  5. That said, there’s so much overlap between eating disorders and trauma survival that this article feels at home here, too: The Unacknowledged Trauma Epidemic and the long-term public health repercussions of sexual abuse.
  6. Irish Teacher has a piece on The reason behind a child’s behavior won’t make you angry, it will break your heart.
  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.

This week’s AV: shall we talk about Bruno?

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

This Week’s [pretty Catholic] Trauma Survivor Resource Roundup

Making sense of your trauma process (Catholic style)

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Is the sun finally peeking through? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image © Erin McCole Cupp 2022
  1. Wanna break the cycle of using food for anything other than enjoyable fuel? here are 5 tips for talking to kids about weight and eating.
  2. On a similar note (warning: I’m in the process of niche-ing down to help you all get Filled With Good), here’s a study on the impact of maternal influences on childhood obesity.
  3. Have you shared your story or kept it hidden? Why do survivors stay silent.
  4. I know as Catholics we generally want to be extremely cautious of spiritual practices that involve other gods, however obliquely or well-intentioned it may be. By sharing this article, I’m not promoting yoga, but I’m curious about it–if it’s providing clinically demonstrable healing, is there no way of baptizing it? Another one for the research nerds out there: a recent study on yoga as a therapeutic tool for emotional dysregulation in veterans.
  5. Are you identifying with symptoms of narcissistic abuse but looking back on your life, thinking, “But none of my attachment figures were these big, grandiose show-offs!” Here are 3 ways to spot covert narcissists before they strike.
  6. The myth of survivor solidarity: Why it’s so hard for us to all just get along.
  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.

This week’s AV: It’s harsh out there, especially for survivors of family abuse and dysfunction. Here are some affirmations for you–with love from me.

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

This Week’s [pretty Catholic] Trauma Survivor Resource Roundup

What do trauma survivors need? This week’s resources, Catholic style

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Having trouble finding whoooo you want to be? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image © Erin McCole Cupp 2022
  1. I know, it’s the Easter Season, but Single Mom Smiling has a great post on what Jesus saw (and sees) in us in the pre-trauma of Palm Sunday.
  2. You know I’m all about the link between trauma and food addiction. Turns out some people think that the military may be creating a perfect storm for eating disorders.
  3. “If you have an eating disorder, you can get better.”
  4. Did COVID-19 make the world a better place for people with eating disorders?
  5. It’s not what you’re eating. It’s what’s eating your mind: Repetitive negative thinking linked to specific disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls.
  6. The crossroads of parenting after trauma and contributing to healthy, non-emotional eating in our kids: Tips for Talking to Kids About Weight and Eating.
  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.

This week’s AV: Am I going to keep sharing stuff from Cinema Therapy? Ob…viously.

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

This Week’s [pretty Catholic] Trauma Survivor Resource Roundup

What do trauma survivors need? This week’s resources, Catholic style

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Do the feasting days of Easter have you drifting into habits you tried dropping during Lent? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image © Erin McCole Cupp 2022
  1. Msgr. Pope is over at OSV with this important piece for intergenerational trauma survivors: What does the Church teach about intergenerational curses?
  2. “You’re too sensitive!” Maybe, maybe not. And if I am, what does that tell you about my past? Heads up for this scholarly article: Pain catastrophizing, pain sensitivity and fear of pain are associated with early life environmental unpredictability: a path model approach.
  3. You all know I’m going to try to attract you all to Catholic In Recovery at every chance I get.
  4. A little more academic nerddom for you: Child Abuse as an Example of Coexistence of Emotional and Physical Trauma Among Children: An Academic Overview With Altmetric Perspective.
  5. For the parents who care: Like a bomb going off in the family: supporting parents whose children experience sexual abuse
  6. So much trauma could be prevented from being passed on if we just took better care of the parents: Supporting Patients With Serious Mental Illness and Comorbid Substance Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  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.

This week’s AV: have we heard from Dr. Ramani enough lately? I say no, we have not!

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

This Week’s (Catholic-style) Trauma Survivor Resource Roundup

What do trauma survivors need? This week’s resources, Catholic style

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

Finding yourself surrounded by chaos and debris? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101.
Image © Erin McCole Cupp 2022

  1. First up: Holy Week is near. If you still aren’t in the Lenten spirit or have already bombed at every penance you promised, I have opened up a private community on Facebook for people who want to spend their Lenten practice on creating intentional relationships where we can go for support when we are tempted to reach for those things not of God. Get heard at Heard Mentality.
  2. Carolyn Astfalk has a story to share about chocolate milk and gratitude. She also shares her experience with our Thursday morning Clubhouse Chaplet of Gratitude and Surrender–do join us!
  3. Andrew J. Bauman blogs about men healing from harmful tendencies. He has some thoughts to consider over on I am insecure and I want my wife to pay for it.
  4. Mental health: it’s not just for the couch anymore. It’s also for the workplace.
  5. This one really got me thinking: what is the opposite of the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses? It’s flow.
  6. And, well, this one is from me over at Catholic Mom: Are you a victim or a volunteer?
  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.

This week’s AV is again all audio and zero visual: Deanna Bartalini did a podcast on GLAD journaling, a tool I’ve been using for a while to help me stay grounded in the good. Give it a listen and maybe give it a try!

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

This Week’s (Catholic-style) Trauma Survivor Resource Roundup

What do trauma survivors need? This week’s resources, Catholic style

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

No foolin’. It’s time to bloom. Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image: Unsplash

  1. First up: if you still aren’t in the Lenten spirit or have already bombed at every penance you promised, I have opened up a private community on Facebook for people who want to spend their Lenten practice on creating intentional relationships where we can go for support when we are tempted to reach for those things not of God. Get heard at Heard Mentality.
  2. Do you find yourself explaining yourself, then explaining some more, then explaining your explanation? Over-explaining is a trauma response related to “fawning.” Read here for more.
  3. I’ve been following MentalHealness (Lee) on TikTok since day 1 or 2. It’s a fascinating look into the mind of someone living with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. (warning: language)
  4. “What has made it hard for you to trust God with your whole heart? Can you return to a trusted place to begin healing that fractured trust?” Roxane Salonen has a beautiful peace on trust over at Catholic Mom: Returning to a Trustful Place.
  5. Going no-contact with family of origin is a touchy subject and one prone to lots of judgment from the outside (ask me how I know). Here are 8 things not to say to people who are estranged from their parents.
  6. A childhood sexual assault survivor shares her story of hearing the stories of offenders: Sexual abuse ruined my life. Then I worked with sex offenders.
  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.

This week’s AV is all audio and zero visual: Sus Long’s “God of Every Daughter.” Listen to the lyrics and tell me what you think in the comments.

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.

This Week’s Resources for Catholic Trauma Survivors

What do Catholic trauma survivors need? This week’s resources

Inclusion does not equal endorsement of concept, source, writer, etc.

Update: My Domestic Church has taken over the weekly 7 Quick Takes. I’ll try linking up there.

God wants you to do what now? Maybe it’s time to find your cycle-breaking Beatitude or take Self-Control 101. Image: Wikimedia

  1. First up: if you still aren’t in the Lenten spirit or have already bombed at every penance you promised, I have opened up a private community on Facebook for people who want to spend their Lenten practice on creating intentional relationships where we can go for support when we are tempted to reach for those things not of God. Get heard at Heard Mentality.
  2. Hypervigilant? Numbed out? “Experiences of childhood maltreatment seem to be linked to an increased early vigilance to emotional social signals and to an attentional avoidance of hostile facial expressions at a later stage of perception. The present results suggest a vigilance-avoidance pattern of attention allocation associated with childhood maltreatment.” You might be interested in reading more from this study on experiences of maltreatment in childhood and attention to facial emotions in healthy young women.
  3. What is Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or C-PTSD?
  4. Trauma survivors are sick of rejection and betrayal. And yet, God didn’t not answer. He said no.
  5. I think there might be a touch of codependency in this, but there is still a kindness in not rubbing our friends’ noses in our joys: When we unintentionally hurt our friends.
  6. Dealing with high conflict people?
  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.

This week’s AV: some more Dr. Ramani

Thanks for reading, listening & watching, fellow image-bearers. Now give My Domestic Church a look-see.