The human body is a brilliant machine. When the physical body is healthy, it works on our behalf every moment of every day with little to no conscious effort. Our bodies are constantly adapting to our environments – we have the extraordinary ability to acclimate to extreme shifts in climate and changes in food supply. We also have the astonishing ability to adjust to various degrees of mental and emotional stress. Because our bodies adapt so well, we rarely take note of the constant blessing they are to us in our daily lives, until illness, pain, or lack of energy alerts us. Today, my goal is educate on how our physical bodies adapt to long-term stressors, and equip with effective ways to r
Ryan Van Wyk asked me to write a blog about Cognitive Processing Therapy, an evidence based cognitive behavioral therapy designed to treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It can be implemented in a variety of formats, including group, individual, or combination of group and individual sessions. In the 8 years I have been using CPT, I’ve seen remarkable symptom resolution in the majority of clients I’ve worked with, clients suffering from the effects of a wide range of traumatic events including combat, physical and sexual trauma, natural disasters, accidents, and a variety of childhood abuses. Prior to starting CPT, a thorough assessment of the client’s trauma and symptoms is critical.
MN Trauma Project and our partners were thrilled at the turnout for our May 17 event: “Acknowledging Our Brokenness: An evening of reflection on trauma’s impact for individuals and the community.” More than 150 community members turned out to the Wilder Foundation’s auditorium to hear our four speakers discuss the impact of trauma from their unique perspectives. It was our first foray into organizing a public event and it was a good start. The vision for the event was to spark conversation in the community about the importance of naming trauma at the individual, community and systemic levels. For MN Trauma Project, that means we have a lofty goal of making Minnesota a trauma-informed state w
