CPTSD vs. Depression
CPTSD vs. Depression: When CPTSD Looks Like Depression And Why Treatment Often Comes Too Late Many women spend years being treated for depression without ever feeling meaningfully better. They try medication. They commit to therapy. They do what they’re told. And still, something doesn’t shift. The sadness may soften, but the exhaustion remains. The…
Read MoreThe Fawn Response
The Fawn Response: A Survival Pattern Many women assume their people-pleasing comes from temperament, being “easy,” “accommodating,” or “the one who holds everything together.” But in our CPTSD research, the fawn response wasn’t a personality trait at all. It was a survival strategy: a deeply conditioned way of staying safe when conflict, tension, or…
Read MoreCPTSD and Sleep
Sleep Is the Loudest Symptom in Women with CPTSD For many women living with complex trauma, sleep isn’t just one symptom among many — it’s the symptom that holds everything else together. When sleep is fragile, every other part of life gets harder: mood, focus, confidence, boundaries, and emotional regulation. For the women in our…
Read MoreHigh-Functioning Severe Depression in Women
High-Functioning Severe Depression in Women: The Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore Many women live with severe depression while appearing calm, competent, and productive. You handle work. You show up for your kids. You reply to messages. You get things done. From the outside, you look steady. But inside, you may feel hollow, exhausted, disconnected, or…
Read MoreDissociation and Safety
Dissociation & Safety: The Overlooked Risk in High-Functioning Women Dissociation is one of the most misunderstood, and most risky symptoms women with trauma and chronic stress experience. It doesn’t always look dramatic. Often, it shows up quietly: zoning out in conversations, losing time during the day, “leaving” your body in conflict, or suddenly realizing…
Read MoreCPTSD Holiday Survival Guide
CPTSD Holiday Survival Guide: Sleep, Boundaries, Safety & Emotional Overload The holidays can be overwhelming for women living with CPTSD. Schedules shift, sleep gets disrupted, family dynamics intensify, and emotional bandwidth shrinks. If you notice spikes in nightmares, fawning, shutdown, or irritability during December, it’s not a character flaw, it’s your nervous system reacting…
Read MoreWorking, Parenting and Severe Depression
Working, Parenting and Severe Depression: Keeping Life Intact While You Heal You don’t stop being a parent or professional just because you’re struggling. If you’re facing severe depression and holding together work, parenting, and relationships, it can feel like something’s going to break. Often, the person who breaks first is you. This guide is…
Read MorePerimenopause Depression & PMDD
Perimenopause Depression & PMDD If you’re a woman in your late 30s, 40s, or early 50s and your mood feels unrecognizable, it’s not just aging. And it’s not all in your head. Hormonal changes during perimenopause, or from conditions like PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), can profoundly affect emotional wellbeing, often leading to depression that’s…
Read MoreTreatment-Resistant Depression in Women
Treatment-Resistant Depression in Women Have you tried antidepressants and still feel stuck, hopeless, or emotionally numb? It may be treatment-resistant depression. For many women, especially those with trauma histories, hormonal shifts, or chronic stress exposure, standard care or medication may not be enough. This guide breaks down what treatment-resistant depression (TRD) really is, why…
Read MoreDissociation, Depersonalization & Derealization in Women
Dissociation, Depersonalization & Derealization in Women If you’re in an immediate crisis or at risk of harming yourself, call 988 (US) or your local emergency number. This guide is educational and not a diagnosis. “Dissociation” is an umbrella term for disconnects in awareness, memory, or sense of self. Two common experiences are depersonalization (you…
Read More