Welcome to another episode of the CoalFace! In this month’s blog, we explore trauma through a new lens — one of patience, perspective, and self-kindness. You are not broken; you’re rebuilding. PTSD is complex, but healing doesn’t have to be confusing. Exploring trauma through a new lens brings hope to break free from the shackles of the past that are weighing you down.

PTSD: A Unique Approach

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex and often invisible mental illness. It presents through multiple clusters of symptoms, with over 600,000 possible combinations according to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). This means no two people experience PTSD in the same way—each person’s symptoms, triggers, and intensity are unique.

One of the most challenging aspects of PTSD is reliving trauma through flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and distressing memories. These experiences can feel as real as the original event, making recovery a long and deeply personal journey.PTSD recovery isn’t linear — it’s personal, powerful, and possible.
PTSD can be like chewing gum stuck to your brain — sticky, stubborn, but removable.

The Chewing Gum Analogy

Chewing gum can help regulate focus, memory recall, and rhythm of thought—areas often disrupted by PTSD. But let’s take this further as an analogy for trauma itself.

Think of trauma as **chewing gum stuck to your brain**. Once it’s there, it’s unwanted, inconvenient, and hard to remove—just like intrusive memories or flashbacks. Removing gum from your shoe or clothes takes patience and effort, but once it’s gone, there’s relief. Healing from trauma works in a similar way: slow, methodical, and freeing.

Building a Foundation: Physical Health

Strong mental health starts with strong physical health.

- Sleep: Your brain needs rest to process and heal. Intrusive memories—your “mental chewing gum”—can disrupt sleep, but improving sleep is one area fully within your control.
- Nutrition: What you eat affects how you think and feel. A balanced diet supports emotional stability and focus.

With “consistency, commitment, and patience”, the pain will ease. Remember, no matter how many times you face something painful, there will always be a *last time*.

Managing Thoughts and Emotions

There’s a difference between suppressing and extinguishingintrusive thoughts. Suppression pushes them down temporarily; extinguishing them means processing and releasing them.

Dealing with thoughts is not about emotion—it’s about decision.
Control your thoughts, and you control your peace.

The loudest noise is often in your head. Extreme thoughts can lead to extreme behaviour. Remember: Anger is just one letter away from danger.

A Shift in Perspective

Imagine this: you’re 40 and wish you could be 21 again. Now flip it—imagine you’re 85, retired, and suddenly wake up at 40 with 50 more years ahead. How would you live differently?

Be honest with yourself. Honesty brings simplicity, and simplicity is easy to repeat.

Drawings of Hope and Happiness

You become what you give your attention to. As Charlie Sheen once said, If you treated your friends the way you treat yourself, you wouldn’t have any friends.

Check in with yourself regularly. The quality of your self-relationship mirrors the quality of your relationships with others.

- Don’t let yesterday’s rejection steal today’s confidence.
- Don’t let disappointment dim tomorrow’s potential.
- Be loyal to your future, not your past.

Breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma begins with you.

The Role Model Within

For those from Generation X or anyone who’s lived through tough times, know that your life experience is valuable. Recovering from trauma opens the possibility for you to be a role model for younger generations. This is a gift not given to everyone.

By sharing your lessons, you give others the keys to wisdom, self-worth, and confidence. Refusing that role risks passing down the same chains of trauma. Shared connection grows from shared goals and principled values.

Understanding Negativity Bias

Humans are wired to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones—a survival mechanism known as negativity bias. Your brain treats insults and painful memories as threats, storing them longer than compliments.

To rewire this:
- Write down compliments and revisit them weekly.
- Speak kindly to yourself daily.
- Celebrate your progress—*you’ve earned it!!!.*

Accepting Help

Letting others help you can feel uncomfortable, but it’s a skill worth practicing. The more you allow support, the easier it becomes.

There’s no single “cure” for PTSD, anxiety, or depression—but there *is you*, and that’s enough.

Coping mechanisms—good or bad—are part of healing. Some will work long-term; others won’t. That’s okay. The goal is to reduce emotional pain and learn from each attempt.

Remember the **Triple A’s**:
- **Awareness**
- **Acknowledgement**
- **Acceptance**

Evolving Beliefs

As your understanding grows, your questions will change. Rigid, absolute beliefs can keep you stuck. Flexible, realistic beliefs allow growth and adaptation.

Healing isn’t about forgetting—it’s about transforming pain into wisdom.

Final Thoughts

PTSD recovery isn’t linear. It’s a process of unlearning, relearning, and rebuilding. You are not your trauma—you are the strength that survived it.

Keep going. You’ve already done the hardest part: you’re still here. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this edition as much as I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you. Until next time,it's yippeekayay!!