Women’s Health
The 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 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 MoreCPTSD vs. Borderline Personality Disorder
CPTSD vs. Borderline Personality Disorder: Clear Differences for 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. CPTSD and BPD can look similar (big emotions, relationship pain), and anxiety can overlap with both.…
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