This week’s focus: In the News;
and Mental Health Resources
I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.
Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.
Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)
@LillyAnn “The only thing that matters is love,
which is so much more than feeling only ‘nice’ things.
It’s more about feeling ALL things.”
Some Tweets to Ponder
@HealthyPlace “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ~ Jane Goodall
@PemaQuotes “The story lines vary, but the underlying feeling is the same for us all.” ~ Pema Chödrön
@visityourself “The desire to feel better is a fine motivation for meditating. The first step is to allow yourself to feel crummy without self-judgment.”
@rcinstitute “Thoughtful Thursday: the difference between being a thoughtful person and a people-pleaser lies in having good boundaries.”
@LillyAnn “If you do the inner work, the outer work becomes clearer and flows easier. If you are struggling, you are trying to reverse the order.”
Linked Tweets
In the News
@HuffPostImpact How you can help victims, families of the tragic Aurora theater shooting
[SEO: Links to the local blood bank; Aurora’s mental health center; United Way Denver; Thrive With Confidence Foundation; the American Red Cross; and the Denver Center for Crime Victims.]
@heykim Penn State, since you don’t get it, THIS is why Paterno’s statue must come down (by @GreggDoyelCBS)
[SEO: “Give us the statue, Penn State. It would be a symbolic gesture at this point, nothing more, but symbolism is all we have. We can’t go back in time and wipe Sandusky from the face of the earth, though if we had a time machine …. We can’t fix the victims he ruined, because some wounds are just too deep. We can’t throw Paterno in jail for abetting a pedophile, because he’s dead. …
“Take it down because at this point, all you can do for the world is to acknowledge that something went terribly wrong within your football program. And every second that the statue stands with its acid-churning words — ‘Joe Paterno … humanitarian’ — is another second that we think, no we know, you still don’t get it.”]
The Rest of the Best
@SarahEOlson2009 What You Need to Know About Treatment-Resistant Depression
[SEO: “While there’s some debate over the precise definition, treatment-resistant depression is typically thought of as failing to achieve remission after two treatments or two antidepressants….” This detailed post discusses why some people are more prone to be treatment=resistant due to comorbidities and other complications. It provides information about various treatments available if medication and psychotherapy are unsuccessful, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).]
@DrCarlHindy Self-Compassion Fosters Mental Health (via Scientific American)
[SEO: “Self-compassion is distinct from self-esteem, a trait that can shade into narcissism. Nor should it be confused with self-pity or self-indulgence. ‘Self-compassion is treating yourself with the same kindness and care you’d treat a friend.’ … Research is showing that this gentle, nonjudgmental approach helps individuals bounce back even after major crises.”]
@HealthyPlace Trauma Disorders and Cortisol: What Is Cortisol? (via Dissociative Living blog)
[SEO: Holly Gray (@dontcallmeSybil) is back with a series on the role of Cortisol, a fight or flight stress hormone, in people who’ve experienced tremendous trauma. (True for anyone who experiences PTSD, not just those with dissociative identity disorder.) Part 1 linked above explains what Cortisol is, and how it acts in the body. Part 2 discusses 6 Symptoms of Cortisol Imbalance in trauma survivors. This goes a very long way in explaining both her and my own most frustrating symptoms.
Part 3 (to be published this next week) will discuss how to “approach managing symptoms like mine from a cortisol stabilization standpoint.” I will be looking for it.]
@natasha_tracy Fear of Abandonment Due to Mental Illness
[SEO: “When people realize they have a mental illness like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia [SEO: or really, just about any type], one of the first feelings they have is fear. And there’s a lot to be afraid of. There’s the treatment, doctors, symptoms, side effects and then there’s the illness itself. It’s completely reasonable to be scared in that situation.
“And in that moment, or possibly in a moment shortly thereafter, the fear of abandonment becomes a reality. A very reasonable and realistic fear is that people will abandon you because of the mental illness.” Good advice on what to do with the fear, which can become self-fulfilling if it causes you to push people away pre-emptively.]
@BobbiEmel The 31 Benefits of Gratitude You Didn’t Know About: How Gratitude Can Change Your Life
[SEO: A comprehensive, mostly non-religious-oriented* discussion of various aspects of gratitude that truly can make a difference in your life if you’re willing to pursue them. The opening diagram in itself is thought-provoking. And later: “Not convinced? Want to know the details or explore the science that backs up these claims? Click below to go to the specific category or benefit that interests you.” Categories include personality; health; emotional; social; and career.
*No offense intended toward religions that foster gratitude or the people who practice them. The description helps people abused by clergy or religious cults to know they will not be triggered by the material. There is a discussion, however, pertaining to spirituality and gratitude.]
