Journey Counseling, LLC

05/21/2026

PTSD & CPTSD Awareness

When does surviving become thriving? I do all of the below. When do the ghosts of the past stop haunting you? This is the reality of living with PTSD & CPTSD. The hypervigilance and fear is real, even if you are no longer in danger.

Please know, ‘but you survived’ minimizes the fact that a ‘survivors’ body still doesn’t know that they’re no longer in danger. Their nervous system doesn’t know that they’re safe.

Understanding, compassion and kindness can help us to learn what safety is, through positive connection.

We might be alive, but that doesn’t mean we’re still not fighting every day just to survive.

One day I hope you all get the chance to thrive.

Katie

🩵

05/17/2026

CPTSD - Inner Child

Every now and then the little ‘me’ shows up, sometimes she’s scared,shaking and crying; other times she’s hiding quiet as a mouse.

At these times the emotion dysregulation is overwhelming, feeling things no child should ever have to feel. Little me just wants to feel seen, heard and safe.

If you feel small, scared and vulnerable sometimes, remember that you’re not alone. I’m standing beside you.

I hope you all find your ‘safe’. You deserve it. Sending you all much love & light this Saturday night. 🫶🏻

Katie

🩵

05/17/2026

Lived Experience

If you’re able to, I would highly recommend finding a professional with lived experience.

This is a whole other level of being seen and heard.

You’re not alone. We stand together.

Katie

🩵

05/17/2026

05/17/2026

Many traumatized children were praised for being “mature,” “strong,” “independent,” “quiet,” or “responsible.”

But sometimes, those traits were not personality.

They were survival responses.

The quiet child may have been scared.

The mature child may have been parentified.

The independent child may have learned that nobody was emotionally safe to rely on.

The responsible child may have been carrying emotional burdens too early.

And because they looked “well-behaved,” many people missed the pain underneath.

They missed the child who was anxious but silent.

The child who smiled while feeling unsafe.

The child who never asked for help because rejection felt worse than struggling alone.

The child who became useful because being needed felt safer than being vulnerable.

The child who learned to disappear emotionally so they would not become a problem.

Hyper-independence, emotional suppression, overachieving, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and constantly monitoring other people’s moods can all begin as adaptations to unsafe environments.

Healing begins when you stop romanticizing what survival forced you to become.

You were not born to carry everything alone.

You were not born to be easy to manage.

You were not born to abandon your feelings just to keep the peace.

You were a child who deserved safety, softness, guidance, and emotional care.

If this resonates with you, you might want to check out I Didn’t Choose to Be Born. It goes deeper into childhood trauma, dysfunctional family dynamics, emotional neglect, parentification, and the coping mechanisms many children develop just to survive.

You can find it through the link in bio.

05/17/2026

Complex Trauma’ describes a particular type of trauma that goes beyond a one-time incident. It tends to:
- be repeated or ongoing;
- be difficult or impossible to escape from;
- occur within a personal relationship;
- begin in childhood, so that it affects a child’s development; and
- be covered up, kept secret or denied.
Learn more about complex trauma and find helpful resources in our fact sheets at https://www.isst-d.org/publications-resources/public-resources/fact-sheet-i-trauma-and-complex-trauma-an-overview/

05/17/2026

💣 Emotional neglect does not always create a child who acts out.

Sometimes it creates a child who disappears into themselves.

A child who learns not to ask for comfort because comfort was unavailable. A child who learns not to express sadness because sadness was ignored. A child who learns not to need too much because needing too much made them feel like a burden.

And years later, that child may become an adult who struggles to ask for help, hides their pain, overexplains their needs, apologizes for having feelings, and feels guilty when they require support.

That is not weakness.

That is adaptation.

Healing begins when you realize your needs were never the problem. The problem was being in an environment where your needs were not welcomed, understood, or held with care.

If this resonates with you, you might want to check out I Didn’t Choose to Be Born. It goes deeper into childhood trauma, emotional neglect, dysfunctional family dynamics, the coping mechanisms we develop just to survive, and how to finally break the cycle and heal.

You can find it through the link in bio.