Trauma

Emotional Neglect in Relationships: Why It Happens and How to Remedy It

, 2025-03-21T08:03:25+00:00March 14th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Trauma|

The people you are close to play an important role in your life. One of the key predictors of well-being is whether we’re in healthy relationships with others, whether it’s with a spouse, friends, siblings, colleagues, or neighbors. Some relationships will have a deeper and more lasting impact compared to others, but the point is that as relational and social creatures, the health of our relationships is immensely important. If the health of our relationships matters for our well-being, it pays to know why those relationships can go wrong, and how to remedy it. One of the key areas where a relationship can be unhealthy is when emotional neglect is taking place. Emotional Neglect in Relationships Emotional neglect is an unfortunate reality in many relationships. Whether it’s between parents and their children, siblings, or in a romantic relationship, it’s possible for loved ones to experience emotional neglect. Emotional neglect can be understood as a type of abuse. When a person is neglected emotionally, their emotional needs are consistently ignored, dismissed, or disregarded. Plano Christian Counseling can provide support and guidance for individuals experiencing emotional neglect. What adds to the pain of emotional neglect is that the ones who are disregarding or dismissing another’s emotional needs are the same people who carry the responsibility to meet those needs. Partners, caregivers, or parents are responsible to others to meet their needs, and it’s part of what makes the relationship a healthy one. Emotional neglect can take various forms, including minimizing or trivializing the other person’s experiences; being unavailable and unresponsive when called upon; showing little to no interest in the others’ feelings, thoughts, or experiences; not providing reassurance or comfort; ignoring or dismissing the other’s emotions; withholding validation and support; and not acknowledging or apologizing for hurtful or harmful behavior. When [...]

Comments Off on Emotional Neglect in Relationships: Why It Happens and How to Remedy It

5 Good Boundaries to Draw With People Who Have Caused Trauma

, 2025-03-21T09:20:10+00:00March 10th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Trauma|

` One of the most critical aspects of our emotional freedom is to forgive those who have hurt us. This is especially true for people who have suffered trauma or abuse. A person with a traumatic past may need the help of forgiveness to move past it and thrive in their lives. However, just because a person has forgiven someone does not mean they need to give them access to their lives. Good Boundaries to Draw With Causers of Trauma Boundaries help people limit access to interaction with them and what they can know about them. A person who wants to protect themselves from suffering trauma again needs to draw proper boundaries with that person. Here are five good boundaries to draw with people who have caused trauma: Time Boundaries Limit the amount of time you spend with a person. If you see that person regularly, limiting the time you spend talking with that person is essential. A person who has subjected you to trauma and is not repentant may quickly come back to that topic and cause you pain and harm by denying the behavior even existed. This can re-trigger the pain you are trying to get past. Furthermore, a person who has subjected you to trauma wants to know more about you. By spending more time with you, they can learn more details about your life. Draw a reasonable time boundary and limit their time with you or your loved ones. Plano Christian Counseling can help you set healthy boundaries and find healing from past trauma. Space Boundaries Similarly, limit or restrict their ability to get close to you. A person who is close to you in proximity can try to hug you or, even worse, abuse you. To protect yourself, you need to draw a space [...]

Comments Off on 5 Good Boundaries to Draw With People Who Have Caused Trauma

Common Questions When Dealing with Grief and the Holidays

, 2025-03-21T09:23:16+00:00March 7th, 2025|Family Counseling, Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

The holidays, like grief, are a mixed bag of unpredictable events and the emotions that grow from them. Put dealing with grief and important holidays like Christmas together and you have the recipe for a tumultuous and volatile storm of emotions. Throw in the pressure of expectations, family dynamics, financial obligations, dreary weather, and even more and you have a season that can be anything but merry and bright. If you’re struggling this holiday season, you’re not alone. There are a variety of reasons why people struggle during the Christmas season and grieving a lost loved one is often a trigger. So much of the holidays are built on family and friends and love and tradition and when something interrupts those relational bonds, the loss can be significant. So where do you go from here? Tips for Dealing with Grief During the Holidays Here are some ideas on how to make you feel a little merrier this holiday season, even in the midst of your grief. Be Realistic: Understand that the holidays are tough for everyone, especially those who are missing someone special, so be kind to yourself, as you would be kind to others. Know that your experience will be different in those first few years without your loved one. Plano Christian Counseling offers compassionate support to help you navigate grief and find comfort during the holiday season. It’s impossible to recreate your special moments and duplicate your memories when a key person is missing. Accept this reality as fact and you will have less stress. Instead, focus on moving forward and creating new memorable moments. Keep Expectations In Check: You may be used to an amazing home-cooked dinner and a tree surrounded by gifts from loved ones. That was certainly a nice memory, but it doesn’t have [...]

Comments Off on Common Questions When Dealing with Grief and the Holidays

5 Ways to Grow After Betrayal Trauma

2025-03-25T14:49:19+00:00January 13th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

People who have experienced infidelity, separation, or divorce will often tell you that it is the hardest thing they have had to face. Besides all of the emotions that come with the territory, you might also have to navigate practical challenges you have never had to face alone, like being a single parent or having to live alone. Let's consider some practical ways in which you might recover and thrive after betrayal trauma. 5 Ways to Grow After Betrayal Trauma While it certainly is going to be a rough ride, there are silver linings and things to look forward to. Here are five ways that you might find yourself growing after experiencing infidelity or betrayal trauma: You learn to live again Some people go through divorce or leave their spouses late in life. Others have barely reached their forties before they face the end of a marriage. Whatever age you are at, you have just survived potentially the biggest challenge you have had to face. You are a survivor. Not only that, but you now have the chance to figure out what the rest of your life will look like. Plano Christian Counseling is here to support you as you navigate this new chapter and find hope for the future. You reevaluate relationships When you go through trauma, you will quickly realize who the key people in your life are. They might be the ones who have always been there, but their consistency cannot be underestimated. You might be surprised by the person who shows up for you at this point, but don’t take anyone for granted. Friends are the family we choose, but they are also the ones who show up for us in practical, measurable, dependable ways. You begin exploring new horizons This might be [...]

Comments Off on 5 Ways to Grow After Betrayal Trauma

PTSD and Relationships: Coming Alongside Your Loved One with PTSD

, 2025-03-25T15:29:03+00:00January 3rd, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Trauma|

We all experience feelings of anxiety occasionally; from low levels of stress to sometimes even crushing anxiety. These feelings can vary in intensity and duration and what triggers them will also differ from person to person. For some people, being called upon in class or during a work meeting is terrifying, while for others meeting new people or being in crowds can make them anxious. Therefore, anxiety can ebb and flow depending on circumstances. However, for some individuals, anxiety never lets up. Plano Christian Counseling is here to help, offering compassionate, faith-based support to guide you toward peace and healing. There are times when a person’s anxiety is so bad that it impedes their day-to-day functioning, diminishing their sense of well-being. When anxiety is like this, you should consider visiting a health professional, who can help you understand the reasons for your anxiety and find skills to help you to better manage it. PTSD is one form of anxiety that can affect one’s relationships significantly and lessen your quality of life. The good news is that a trained therapist assist you in lessening the severity of these symptoms. PTSD and Its Causes Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that’s caused when a person witnesses or is involved in an extremely stressful or terrifying event that involves actual or threatened death. Sometimes, even when a person learns about such an event and is not directly involved, it could lead to PTSD, which is considered secondary trauma. PTSD can result from events like serious injury, sexual violence, war, physical assault, childhood abuse, traffic accidents, or being threatened with a weapon. It is not altogether clear why some people experience traumatic events and get PTSD, while others do not. At the root of PTSD, there may be a [...]

Comments Off on PTSD and Relationships: Coming Alongside Your Loved One with PTSD

PTSD Help: Causes and Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

2025-03-27T07:02:33+00:00October 26th, 2024|Featured, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

Daily, there are shocking occurrences happening all around us. We read about them on the news, or as stories that friends, neighbors, or other loved ones share in person or on social media. At times, we ourselves might be witnesses of such events. If these events are frightening, or if there is a real threat of harm involved in them, they could result in trauma leading to PTSD, at which point PTSD help would be in order. Trauma is a person’s emotional response to shocking or frightening events. That response might initially be numbness or a sense of being overwhelmed. Over time, a person can work through the emotions and thoughts associated with the event, finding healing and a sense of peace. However, if the symptoms of trauma linger and perhaps intensify over time, it may be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD is the mental health condition that results when a person sees, experiences, or hears about a traumatic event. A traumatic event can be anything from going through a serious and life-threatening illness, a difficult childbirth experience, being threatened with a weapon, a car accident, or the death of a loved one. Likewise, it can include a natural disaster, kidnapping, sexual assault, being in a combat zone, or being a victim of terrorist activity. Plano Christian Counseling is here to provide compassionate, faith-based support, helping individuals find healing, hope, and restoration. It is not known for certain what causes PTSD, because two people may experience a similar or the same traumatic event, and one person may develop PTSD, while the other does not. A person may be at greater risk of developing PTSD as a result of the severity of the traumatic experience. Other factors that may play a role in causing PTSD [...]

Comments Off on PTSD Help: Causes and Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Loved and Found: The Healing Power that Overcomes Trauma and Shame

2025-01-08T06:05:16+00:00May 2nd, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

Humans are curious creatures. We are breathing miracles that embody the creative brilliance of the King of the Universe. He isn’t an aloof God, externalized from our infirmities and issues, but rather the one Lord and Father of all, who isn’t far from any of us (Acts 17:27) even in our trauma and shame. That Truth comes alive in and for those who accept the olive branch of The Father’s Offering, in Jesus. As God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus poured His entire life to reconcile us with the Father, receive us into the family, making us righteous–all by faith in Christ. God’s abundant affection toward us characterizes the miracle of salvation, but our own diminished self-worth causes us to wrestle with giving and receiving a Love this relentless, raw, and real. Our relationship with God, ourselves, and others would ideally be characterized by all the Father initiates and imparts, but the same complications that entered Eden, afflict us, too. When we search outside of God and His expansive provision, we stumble and injure ourselves in search of identity and validation. We scout for attention, affirmation, and affection in the wrong places, though we were already created in and for love by our God who is Love. In response to the Father, we love and learn how to receive and rest in it for ourselves, return it to Him, and release it to others. The pathology of trauma and shame A soul that injures itself operates similarly to an auto-immune deficiency. Many times, when we have been infected by trauma, our hearts and minds behave with the same pattern where dis-ease deconstructs the body from the inside out. When infirmity causes the body to become confused, it wars against itself. It mistakes the agents that promote health and help, [...]

Comments Off on Loved and Found: The Healing Power that Overcomes Trauma and Shame
Go to Top