Being human, we can’t avoid painful experiences. Depending on the severity, pain has the ability to cripple our confidence and self-perception. But herein, as with most everything, we are in a place of choice. 

In my work with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (sacred work, indeed), I often refer to Complex PTSD - "...most often associated with extended periods of physical and/or sexual abuse in childhood [as well as] ongoing verbal and emotional abuse." (Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. Pete Walker)

In the world of clinical psychology, people are diagnosed with depression when they exhibit a certain criteria of symptoms. But did you know that there might be something else going on?

We almost never hear about stress anymore except as it affects physical health. And there's a good reason for that - we live in a world now, both online and offline, where specific triggers of stress are continuous and ongoing. What once was situational and, therefore, potentially resolvable, is now 24/7, which makes it an inescapable state of being.