Below, you will find excerpts from articles that I have written, along with a link to read them in full on the publishers’ websites. Short Essays in Dutch (korte essays) are at the bottom of this page.
Surviving Childhood Trauma: The Impact of Domestic Violence – Published by Welldoing.org
It is in our connectedness with other people – in our memories of laughter, smiles, sharing sorrow, being heard, being looked at with kindness, being heard with attention, being remembered by someone, being upset with someone, being comforted – that we become alive as relational beings. From one perspective, we can only experience the richness of life when we are in relation with other people, amongst other people, and in between other people… Click here (opens in a new tab).
The Role of Artmaking and Symbolism in Trauma Therapy – Published by Transcend Media Service (TMS)
The longing for freedom from fright, numbness and suffering is as intense as the need to never let one’s psychological and physical integrity be broken apart by anyone. For trauma survivors, a sense of fright and the need to protect oneself from a threat, that always appears to be around the corner can often become a dominant unconscious psychological process. There is a resolve in the unspoken rulebook of one’s life that one will never let it happen even once what happened to them as a child… Click here (opens in a new tab).
Understanding Childhood Trauma – Published by Transcend Media Service (TMS)
The word ‘trauma’ occupies a specific place in our cultural imagination, where it is largely seen as something so big that it only affects someone out there, people we do not know or may never come across. It also captures a sense of humility when one comes across a person who suffers from trauma. But the reality is that trauma impacts more people than we could imagine. We cross paths with trauma survivors in superstores, at work places, in the gym and in social events, without knowing the story of the person behind a gentle smile or the hurt behind an aloof face. Click here (opens in a new tab).
Recovering from Complex Trauma: Exploring Rage as the missing Piece – Published by Transcend Media Service (TMS)
If you are a childhood trauma survivor, one of the first things that may come to your mind is: ‘But I have tried all of this, and no matter what I do, the pain, the fright keeps coming back!’ Quite understandably so, because that is precisely the nature of post-traumatic stress and fright that whatever one tries, that feeling of ‘an attack or humiliation is just round the corner’ keeps coming back. Click here (opens in a new tab).
Meet the Therapist: Sumeet Grover – Published by Welldoing.org
When people feel anxious, or when they experience the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, it is the understanding of what is happening in the brain, body and the nervous system that brings about a shift. These days breathing and mindfulness are perhaps well-known techniques, but they offer one of the most powerful pathways out of the above symptoms.
When I think of the Triune Brain Theory, which I broadly interpret as showing us three brains in one, the treatment of anxiety and post-traumatic stress becomes specific… Click here (opens in a new tab)
The Roots of DBT: Marsha M. Linehan’s Building a Life Worth Living – Published by Welldoing.org
In mainstream schools of psychotherapy, although we learn scientific approaches such as attachment theory – and more recently, the systematic contributions of Bessel van der Kolk in understanding the relationship between the brain, body and trauma – the emphasis is on psychotherapy as an art, a human relationship, on our presence for the individual in front of us. Linehan brings with her theories and her life experiences, the ability to combine science and evidence-based psychotherapy treatment with the spirituality of mindfulness, and the ability to maintain a human relationship with her clients… Click here (opens in a new tab)
Korte Essays (Nederlands/Dutch)
De Paradox van Angst – “Het leven loopt door, elk moment, elk uur. Er lopen de hele tijd mensen om je heen. Je neemt gewoon aan dat jij de enige bent die met een zenuwachtig gevoel door de straat loopt. Misschien schaam je je. Of misschien denk je dat je een soort wolk in je hoofd draagt…”