Vortex Surfers

An evolving, annotated list of links on living with and healing from trauma of all kinds, alpha by author (or title of page).  I am no insider in the fields of psychology/psychotherapy/psychiatry–I am one of those humanities types by profession and orientation, but I feel that this makes me highly qualified to analyze/critique/complain about/advocate these resources.  Or the real reason might be that I’m presumptuous and have a lot of nerve.  Either way, here are some resources and my opinions thereof.

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Empty Memories

This site is on dissociative disorders and PTSD, and has a large collection of articles on trauma-related topics: abuse of various types, resulting disorders and problems, treatment, therapy, attachment, and more.

Foundation for Human Enrichment

Foundation for Human Enrichment page. Peter Levine and others have articles posted, and they offer training and education in the “Somatic Experiencing” approach to trauma treatment. The tidbits I’ve read of Levine’s talk about what we can learn from animal’s experience of trauma–their instinct to discharge the built-up energy after a fright, which in human trauma often does not happen and is instead frozen and stored to ill effects. The resources section of this site has articles on trauma by Levine and others, and the word “VORTEX” shows up several times!

Jim Hopper’s page

This page is his (a psychiatrist) collection of articles on trauma issues–including issues like abuse of males and recovered memory and how mindfulness can help–with peer-reviewed articles and a focus on some of the neuro aspects of trauma, as well as its affects on emotion-regulation. I have mixed feelings on how psychiatry sometimes views/treats trauma and its effects, though many psychiatrists are exceptions, and he seems one of them. He seems to have a compassionate and non-dehuminizing/non-paternalistic approach.

Dusty Miller’s page

Miller is the author of Women Who Hurt Themselves, which looks at an array of self-destructive or self-harming tendencies that are common in women who have experienced trauma, especially early trauma. The way she finds potential connections between issues such as eating disorders, self-injury, and addiction–all as possible aspects of trauma reenactment, even though they may work in differing ways–strikes me as unique and helpful. The term “trauma reenactment syndrome” and her general approach to the women who suffer from it seemed compassionate and not condescending or judgmental, which sadly is not always the case with these issues. Her site mentions her other publications and includes some articles about these topics.

Pete Walker’s page

I think I came across this page, by a therapist, through a link from Writhe Safely’s blog, but I’m not absolutely certain. In any case, it has some discussions of the range of trauma responses and explanations of how they can show up as all sorts of flashbacks (as an emotional or sensory trace on its own, for instance) that I found useful. The phrase “amygdala hijackings” is especially a good way to understand this kind of experience, I think.