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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

In 2022, the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the Papageno Effect "showed evidence that exposure to narratives of hope and recovery resulted in a small, but statistically significant reduction in mean suicidal ideation when compared with active controls." #recovery

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Work (in education) brought me to Japan for the summer. The mountains were great, the digital detox was nice too. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm proud of my growth in the past few years. Healing is possible. #cptsd

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Recovery for survivors often means looking beyond crisis moments to our self-beliefs, many of which are trauma-adaptations & needlessly cruel. Passive suicide ideation is far from "passive" – its state of distress that deserves our attention, compassion, and curiosity. #cptsd #NAMI #recovery

Passive suicidal ideation is so common in trauma survivors that many don't bother to even mention it when they're being assessed— it's just always there.

It becomes like the barely noticeable background music in a TV show.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Every moment of self-compassion is a step towards recovery. Be kind to yourself, always. ❤️‍🩹 I’ll be taking a break for a bit 🙏🏼. Still working my recovery, day at a time.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

There's a variety of "cognitive diffusion" approaches, but its mostly about trying to access a 3rd person perspective on our own thoughts, instead of viewing the world through our thoughts in the 1st person.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

2. There's a big difference between describing a phenomenon and explaining why it happens. VDK described trauma as embodied, while the paper last month proposed its underlying causal architecture. Generally, neuroscience is interested in mechanisms of action.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Notes on the article above: 1) The title of the original scientific paper only attacks the popular misconception that trauma memory is lodged in muscular tissue, the paper actually affirms VDK's general claims. The title “The Body Does Not Keep the Score" is kinda click-bait.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

For anyone who ran across the new neuroscience paper “The Body Does Not Keep the Score" last month, this article is the best explainer I've seen about it so far. This is also a useful intro to "where" (& maybe "how") the body keep the score.👇 #cptsd #recovery www.ptsduk.org/the-body-sti...

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Realizing my self-hatred was trauma-conditioned changed a lot for me, but an insight doesn't necessarily undo ingrained habits of mind. Cognitive defusion strategies helped me stop treating painful thoughts like "I'm a total failure" as objective facts. It gave me room for self-compassion. #cptsd

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Self-compassion was the antidote to shame & self-cruelty I never knew I was allowed to give myself. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

💯The injury did not make us stronger - we made ourselves stronger. My favorite rebuttal of this dumb aphorism will always be @natepost.bsky.social

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Took a sec to find the original "but it makes you stronger" post by Nate Postlethwait. I've seen it, or versions of it, many times over the past two years. Maybe he cribbed it, idk, but it was his voice, his validation, that made a mark. Thankful for everyone who supports & shows the path. 🙏 #cptsd

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Small aside: When I first turned to social media to see if it might help with my trauma recovery, Nate Postlethwait was one of the first voices that struck me. His post about "but it makes you stronger" significantly impacted me, it helped me find my own "recovery voice."

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

This post got me twisted, trying to figure out why. I 100% agree folks *must* take responsibility to heal. But the post also toes the line of victim blaming, no? I'm somehow divided. One problem is this: so much popular convo about childhood trauma seems to be solely through this lens. That is... 👇

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Didn’t expect it, but the heart of the Selling Superman doc is healing from childhood neglect. Addresses healing & recovery directly, some interviews with psychologist too. Sure its about comic books, but it handles abuse & recovery as main topic too. Def recommended. #cptsd #recovery

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Healing from childhood abuse & neglect feels like peeling back delusions, build upon distortions, built on top of lies. It’s a rug pull on our identity. But we get to build a life on our values. It's our best shot at joy & meaning. I choose recovery, however imperfect. Everyday. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd #recovery

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

My deepest sympathies on your loss and the long-tail realities of grief. I too am an only child and became an adult orphan at age 32. I appreciate your thoughts on the loss of reminiscing, its been something I think & write about too:

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

I recently spoke with my 85 yo uncle about him losing his parents by age 36. He started crying; I hugged him, told him I loved him. He was the first person I've met in person who also became an adult orphan by his 30s; I was 32. I found some data showing how relatively rare this is...

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Other data points: If trauma exposed, then est. is 12.4% Some trauma exposed populations have much higher prevalence, e.g. children 23.9%, SA abuse 40%, military 36.4%...

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Being "trauma-informed" means properly contextualizing our symptoms too. I'd often recognize a problem (left column) and shame myself for being undisciplined or weak or having some personality defect. This worked...until it didn't, I'm still picking up the pieces. Be kind to yourself. ❤️‍🩹

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

While the link between PTSD and suicide is well-established, its critical to point out new research suggests suicide and complex PTSD has an even greater positive association. #cptsd #worldsuicidepreventionday #putCPTSDintheDSM 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 👇👇👇

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Some work allowed me to be off the grid for a moment...and I stayed off for a while longer. It was a bit unexpected, but I felt it was appropriate for where I was in healing / grieving. Definitely been missing the recovery conversations, however. Hope the summer has treated yall well.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

When I shame myself into self-sabotage & avoidance, I fall back on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT. For me, ACT offers a clear path for dealing with shame, poor motivation, and cognitive distortions ("I'm a failure"). Few quotes from Russ Harris' "Embracing your Demons." 🧵 #cptsd #recovery

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

I know shame and guilt are rough synonyms in common English, but at least some folks in the field of psychology try to distinguish them. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

I can now see why I always took things "personally.” Whenever I felt a hint of embarrassment or twinge of guilt, I was flooded with shame. Shame nosed its way into every mistake; I thought taking responsibility also meant acknowledging worthlessness. We are worthy of our own forgiveness. #cptsd

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Saying “hey, don’t worry” isn’t support, its emotional gaslighting. Telling us not to feel what we feel flatly denies reality. Do better. Validation - just being an active, empathetic listener - is the essence of support & can help start us down to road to healing. #cptsd #recovery #dobetter❤️‍🩹

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

I'm drawn to writing about the invisible the effects of childhood trauma, for me they lasted decades. Healing definitely feels like an identity rug pull at times. The best analogy for this invisibility may be inception. An idea buried so deeply we think its our own. #cptsd #inception #lifewriting

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Healing fatigue is real. When fatigue hits hard, shame for not being fully healed hits harder. The antidote to shame is self-compassion, be kind to yourself always. Shaming ourselves doesn't speed up anything. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd #recovery #mentalhealth #traumahealing

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Saying, “it could be worse,” isn't consoling or supportive, its invalidating & offensive; you might as well say what you mean: “I don't care how you feel." Do better. Instead, convey sympathy & understanding, “this sounds incredibly difficult.” Be present. Offer support, not judgement. #dobetter❤️‍🩹

Image shows an line illustration of a man who has fallen on the ground with a large boulder about to roll over him. Another man is standing to the side telling him "Hey, don't worry! It could be worse!"

Image was AI generated.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

An emotional flashback will kick us down a shame spiral where everything seems to confirm we're sh*t. Take a moment, name what's happening, "this is a flashback." Breathe. Use our tools: self-talk, writing, movement, visualization, whatever we got. We ain't abandoning ourselves. ❤️‍🩹 #cptsd #recovery

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

A female hummingbird gathering fluff in the wind. 😀 🪶

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

This hummingbird has a streak of bright yellow pollen on his head! Looking like a birdie bad ass 😆 🪶

Image shows just the head of a hummingbird popping over the top of a hummingbird feeder. A bright yellow spot of pollen is directly on the top of his head - he looks like a badass!

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

A female Anna's hummingbird snagging nesting materials and zipping off with a beak-full of fluff. 😄 🪶

Image shows a picture of a bird butt - a hummingbird flys away grasping a beak-full of fluff.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

The two hummingbird states: cute as hell & fierce as fudge. Protecting his feeder, this Rufuos hummingbird flares his iridescent gorget feathers forming a flat "mirror" to flash & scare away an incoming nectar thief. 🪶

Image show a serene cinnamon colored Rufous hummingbird with blazing orange gorget sitting on a wire looking towards the camera.

Image shows the hummingbird in the previous photo now looking upward and to the right, his long, pointy bill casting a sharp silhouette. His orange gorget feathers now look black due to the change in light angle and are projected outwards making a flat surface.

Here a bad bid joke to brighten your day:
What do you call 2,000 mockingbirds?

Two kilomockingbirds.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Trying to blend in with the local hipsters, this hummingbird dons a mustache disguise. 🥸😆 🪶

Image shows a female Anna's hummingbird backlit with morning sun that highlights white fluff clenched in her bill. She was pulling nesting materials from our humming habitat and took a break to sit. The fluff is kapok fiber. This has relatively short fibers that are soft and have good insulating qualities. (This is not animal/dog hair, which has far more tensile strength and can entrap hummingbirds in their nests.)

Bonus: here's a bad bird joke.
What do you call a woodpecker with no beak?

A headbanger.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Self-compassion has been my secret to trauma recovery...and lifting heavy weight. Let me explain. Never in the gym did I ever say to myself, "I failed this lift because I'm a piece of sh*t." I always looked to improper training, poor sleep, poor nutrition. I was open, I was always curious. 🧵

Image shows a barbell on a power rack, set up for squats. 440 lbs would be my personal best.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

The hummingbird migration is in full swing! A male Anna's Hummingbird taking a break from fueling up at our feeder to give us a smile. 🪶

Image shows a male Anna's hummingbird - with his hallmark iridescent crimson-red crown and gorget - taking a mid-flight hover break from sipping on a feeder.

Here's a bad bird joke: Why do hummingbirds hum?

Because they don’t know the words.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

A juvenile hummingbird (Anna's are common around here) giving me the stare down. This fella perched a while and drank his fill before moving on. 🪶

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Anna's hummingbird making himself look good for the camera. 🪶

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Allen's hummingbird giving me the Bronx cheer, AKA the rizz! (Yes, the hummingbird tongue does wrap around it's brain.) 🪶

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

An Allen's hummingbird taking a deep morning stretch! 🪶

Image shows a gorgeous hummingbird sitting on a wire stretching his wings far back and head forward. The orange gorget feathers and green back feathers suggest this is an Allen's hummingbird.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

One of the more fascinating aspects of James Pennebaker's research into expressive writing - writing that discloses or releases emotions and trauma - is that speaking & writing are fundamentally different than merely thinking about past trauma. Trauma without language remains stuck. 👇👇👇

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

After running for decades, mostly for mental health, I started strength training at 39. Never was a gym guy. Also didn't expect it to help heal my childhood trauma w/deep sense of shame & defectiveness. Laura Khoudari's Lifting Heavy Things is a great place to start exploring training & trauma.

Photo of leg press machine with seven 45 pound plates on the peg.

Saturday 11.16.24 Session: Leg days are my Holy Days. After barbell squats, used leg press to work up to a 720lb set, got 6 reps with full range of motion. Immediately did air squats until exhaustion.

Book cover of Lifting Heavy Things by Laura Khoudari. Shows a black kettle bell superimposed with title text.

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Rufous hummingbird, enjoying the last of the sun. One of the feistiest feeder-defending mini birds y'all will ever see! #photography 🪶

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Feats of Strength 💙 Trauma Healing @featsofstrength.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Executive decision: Gonna post about trauma recovery, writing about recovery, lifting heavy things, and photos of hummingbirds in our hummingbird habitat. In my world they all go together in perfect harmony.

Hey friend! Here we have a little hummingbird perched on a wire with a glorious copper orange gorget. The sun beats down on him, causing a shadow of his beak to fall on his chest. He leans to one side slightly with eyes closed, making it look like he is daydreaming.

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