Connection Between Sleep Paralysis and PTSD
Sleep paralysis is often described as frightening, surreal, and deeply distressing. For many people living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), these episodes can feel even more intense, sometimes indistinguishable from trauma-related nightmares or flashbacks. Over the past two decades, research and clinical observations have increasingly pointed to a meaningful connection between sleep paralysis and PTSD. […]
Why Relaxation Feels Unsafe for Trauma Survivors?
For many trauma survivors, being told to “just relax” can feel confusing, or even threatening. Instead of calm, relaxation may trigger anxiety, panic, numbness, or a sudden urge to escape. This reaction isn’t a personal failure or resistance to healing. It’s a natural consequence of how trauma reshapes the nervous system. Understanding why relaxation feels […]
Understanding the Window of Tolerance And How to Expand It
Life doesn’t feel overwhelming all the time. Sometimes we can handle stress, emotions, and challenges with clarity and balance. Other times, even small problems feel unbearable. The concept of the window of tolerance helps explain why this happens, and more importantly, how we can regain stability when life feels too much. In this article, you’ll […]
How Trauma Affects Decisions Making of Yours?
Trauma doesn’t only live in memories, it lives in the nervous system, the brain, and the way we make choices. Many people who have experienced trauma find themselves struggling with decisions that once felt simple. From everyday choices like responding to a message to major life decisions about work, relationships, or safety, trauma can quietly […]
Why Hyperarousal After Trauma Is So Common? And What Helps
Hyperarousal is one of the most common, and most exhausting effects of trauma. Many people describe it as feeling constantly “on edge,” unable to relax, easily startled, irritable, or stuck in a state of alertness even when nothing is wrong. If this sounds familiar, you’re not broken, your nervous system is responding exactly as it […]
A Discussion with Living Free’s Reshie Joseph and Katrina de Laszlo
In this discussion, our Clinical Director, Reshie Joseph, introduces Psychotherapist and Counsellor Katrina de Laszlo, and they discuss her journey to the trauma therapy space and the Living Free Program.
Hyperarousal vs Hypervigilance: How They Differ and Overlap
When discussing trauma, stress disorders, or PTSD, two terms that often show up together are hyperarousal and hypervigilance. They sound similar, and they are connected, but they are not the same. Understanding how they differ helps individuals, caregivers, and clinicians recognize symptoms and choose the right strategies for recovery. What Is Hyperarousal? Hyperarousal is a […]
Childhood Trauma Triggers in Adulthood: Why Old Wounds React Like They Are Happening Now
Childhood trauma does not stay in childhood. The body remembers what the mind has learned to forget. When a child grows up in an environment marked by fear, unpredictability, criticism, or emotional neglect, the nervous system adapts to survive. These survival patterns often continue into adulthood and become triggers that feel sudden, intense, and confusing. […]
Hyperarousal vs Emotional Flooding: Key Differences
Hyperarousal and emotional flooding are often used to describe similar experiences, but they are not exactly the same. Both involve intense activation of the nervous system, yet they show up in different ways and play different roles in trauma and relationship dynamics. Understanding the difference can help you make sense of your reactions, respond with […]
10 Ways to Build Healthier Relationships While Living With Hyperarousal
Hyperarousal changes the way you experience relationships. Your mind may want connection, but your nervous system often feels unsafe. Your body reacts quickly, even when the moment is calm. At Living Free, this is understood as a self-protection response. When your system detects threat, it prepares to protect you through fight, flight, freeze, or appease. […]