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! There’s also the very new Google +1 button up there at the top. I’m not sure what happens if you press it. (Plus one added to … what? But I digress.) Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks!)

Photo Credit: My sweet hubby!

@LillyAnn “Graceful synchronicities abound
when one loves without boundaries.”

Six Standalone Tweets to Ponder

@Tamavista “Adversity introduces you to yourself.” ~ Kitamori

@SpiritualNurse “Stress is two forces moving in opposite directions. Sit still.” ~ Buddhist proverb

@CausesEffects “Silence is full of music.” ~ Marcel Marceau

@MindfulReminder “Do not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness.” ~ James Thurber

@kevinpmiller “Only the good doubt their own goodness, which is what makes them good in the first place.” ~ Paul Auster

@LillyAnn “A soul connection not only inspires us to expand, but also forces us to confront whatever stands in the way of that expansion.” ~ JW

Linked Tweets

In the News

@NOVAcounseling Study: PTSD Can Be Mistaken for ADHD
[SEO: “New research has shown that children’s risk for learning and behavior problems and obesity rises in correlation to their level of trauma exposure…. The findings could encourage physicians to consider diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder rather than attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which has similar symptoms to PTSD but very different treatment.” The money quote: “‘As simple as it may seem, physicians do not ask about trauma,’ he said. ‘And kids get the wrong diagnoses.'”

Well, there you have it. Doctors: Please hear me. While getting the diagnosis right is very important, asking the right questions about trauma — and not just of the parents — could save a child’s life. If a diagnosis of PTSD is warranted, you must ascertain if the trauma is ongoing, or was inflicted by caretakers. Nothing less is acceptable.]

@psychoBOBlogy The Disappearing ‘Disorder': Why PTSD is becoming PTS
[SEO: While I’m appreciative of what the military is (slowly) doing about PTSD amongst its vets, this article on Time.com, and the quotes within, do little more than perpetuate the stigma of mental illness. If you want to drop the term “disorder” from PTSD, then get a new classification in the DSM-V for it. Don’t do this:

“Last month, the Army’s No. 2 officer and top mental-health advocate, General Peter Chiarelli, used PTS repeatedly before opening up about the change. ‘I drop the D,’ he said. ‘That word is a dirty word.’ Chiarelli said the use of ‘PTSD’ suggests the ailment is ‘pre-existing,’ when in reality it is a predictable reaction to combat stress. ‘I believe it’s post-traumatic stress — I really believe it’s probably closer to shell shock,’ he said.”

When the Army’s “top mental health advocate” states that “‘disorder’ is a dirty word”, is this his idea of reducing stigma? Does anyone think the rank and file don’t get that message, loud and clear? He needs to go. Now. And the Army needs to promote someone who will act as a true mental health advocate on behalf of our military, which is needed now more than ever.]

@SocialTimes Facebook Enables Facial Recognition For Millions — Here’s How To Turn It Off
[SEO: If you come from an abuse, stalking, or domestic violence background, and your safety is at issue, you need to look into this. (I think it’s just creepy regardless of background.)]

The Rest of the Best

@psychcentral When the going gets tough, sometimes reaching inwards instead of outwards is the key to self-healing
[SEO: “Do we reach out towards ourselves when tough times come, offering reassurance, guidance, wisdom, compassion? Or do we lash out or shut down in anger, judgment, resentment, disappointment and ultimately self-abandonment?” A great post discussing why it’s hard to take the advice or compassion we would offer a friend in need, and give it to ourselves — and why it’s valuable to work on this.]

@goodthingz 10 Ways to Have a Zen Like Day
[SEO: “Eknath Easwaran is a spiritual teacher whose method is a practical approach that fits naturally into any faith, philosophy, or lifestyle, enabling us to bring universal ideals into daily life. He talks about slowing down, taking time for the important things, and living in the present.”]

@SarahEOlson2009 Mindsight: Three Therapeutic Ways to Look Within (and Find Yourself)
[SEO: “For not only is the mind ‘what the brain does’ (Hanson 2009), the mind actually shapes what the brain becomes, on a physical, synaptic level. So ultimately it shapes who you become. It’s all pretty interconnected… So how can you get to know this intricate system of you a little better? And how might you help nurture it towards a richer sense of mental health and aliveness?” A detailed look at openness, objectivity, and observation.]

@BrainworksRehab 6 Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness Outside of Meditation
[SEO: Excellent, detailed post about the differences between meditation and mindfulness, and steps to take to cultivate mindfulness in every day actions.]

@thecurelist Using The Breath To Experience Meditation
[SEO: How to cultivate the knowledge of your own breathing mindfully, to experience meditation. “Starting slowly with breathing, one can eventually learn to turn walking, eating, even drinking coffee or bathing, into acts of meditation. The aim is to maintain a steady mind unfazed by peripheral distractions.”]

@psychcentral Stuff, Starve or Savor? Your Relationship to Food (and Life)
[SEO: This post isn’t about eating disorders per se. It examines a theory that how you do one thing is how you do all things. “The idea is that maybe there are clues to be found in just about all the patterns and habits you form. That how you eat or dress or drive or spend your money (or don’t) might reveal something much bigger about your approach to life. What would you make of that if it were true? What might it tell you about yourself? (And would you want to do anything about it?)”]

@SarahEOlson2009 My Therapist Won’t Stop Yawning in Session
[SEO: Sometimes, a yawn is just a yawn. I know it’s hard to not take your therapist’s body language personally, especially something like yawning while in the middle of your deepest, most vulnerable moments. Or even when you’re just describing your day. This post gets into theories of why people yawn, and states that the findings are inconclusive. When applied to your therapist’s yawning, there are practical tips on how to handle it, which depends greatly on the situation, the time of the appointment, and how and whether your therapist is handling their own stress levels.

“If [changing the appointment time] doesn’t seem to impact the amount they yawn, consider talking to the therapist directly about this behavior. While it may seem petty to some, or not really relevant to the reason a person is in therapy, it can negatively impact the therapeutic relationship in subtle (and not so subtle) ways. It’s best to bring it out into the open and talk about it.”]