Articles on Trauma & Healing

Jocelyn St.Cyr, LICSW So many of us have convinced ourselves that it’s wrong to feel angry. We shouldn’t feel angry, we think, because there are healthier ways to respond when something is wrong. We see anger as something to be “dealt with” or “managed” as if its presence can only destroy. That, however, couldn’t be further from…

As a New Yorker who experienced 9/11, I often find myself feeling triggered by large-scale community tragedies. Whether it’s coverage of a terrorist attack, or a mass shooting, etc… four things tend to happen to me at different times: I sometimes feel detached, or angry and frustrated in some way, or I’m really slow in…

After the fog clears from a painful relationship, a loss, or some other traumatic experience, you’ll suddenly realize you have no idea who you are anymore. Even though it’s scary and overwhelming to realize this, I want to encourage you to rethink what this really means. Here’s what happened: That period in your life took…

Fact: You CAN heal from trauma. You can live a full and meaningful life, even with what’s happened in your past.  If you listen to the stories of other trauma survivors, you’ll hear that even though it’s hard, healing is possible.   Often though, the path through healing can feel like a maze. Where do…

One of the most important steps you can take towards your healing is to get social support. Selecting people in your life who care for you and treat you with respect can help heal emotional scars caused by others, get you through tough seasons, and lessen the feeling of being alone.  C.S. Lewis once said, “Friendship…

Jocelyn St.Cyr, LICSW Sometimes you feel so down and alone that you wonder if anyone really cares about you. Perhaps you question why so much bad has happened to you, and think, “Is something wrong with me?”.  Maybe you are harsh, whispering things to yourself you would never say to anyone else. You just can’t…