Ellen Tift
@ellentift.bsky.social
Writer, CPTSD survivor, songwriter, music professor, 360° human ellentift. New book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7jhhPN1
Pinned
Ellen Tift
@ellentift.bsky.social
· Jul 31
There's A Word For That- Understanding Complex Trauma When You Feel Broken, Lost, and Confused: A Survivor's Guide to CPTSD and Finding Your Way Back to Yourself
Amazon.com: There's A Word For That- Understanding Complex Trauma When You Feel Broken, Lost, and Confused: A Survivor's Guide to CPTSD and Finding Your Way Back to Yourself: 9798992322804: Tift, Ellen: Books
a.co
“There’s A Word For That- Understanding Complex Trauma When You Feel Broken, Lost, and Confused” #cptsd #cptsdrecovery #narcissisticabuse #betrayaltrauma #selfpublished #selfhelp #cptsdhealing #existentialcrisis #humiliated #emotionalabuse #abusesurvivor #emotionalhealing
a.co/d/1WSX4Xz
a.co/d/1WSX4Xz
August 5, 2025 at 5:41 PM
“There’s A Word For That- Understanding Complex Trauma When You Feel Broken, Lost, and Confused” #cptsd #cptsdrecovery #narcissisticabuse #betrayaltrauma #selfpublished #selfhelp #cptsdhealing #existentialcrisis #humiliated #emotionalabuse #abusesurvivor #emotionalhealing
a.co/d/1WSX4Xz
a.co/d/1WSX4Xz
“If you've lived through complex trauma, betrayal, or chronic mistreatment, your nervous system has learned to treat the world like a battlefield.”
#cptsd #cptsdrecovery #emotionalhealing #mentalhealth #hypervigilance #complextrauma #traumarecovery #betrayaltrauma
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsd #cptsdrecovery #emotionalhealing #mentalhealth #hypervigilance #complextrauma #traumarecovery #betrayaltrauma
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
Brace Yourself! A Nervous System on Edge After Complex Trauma
Do you constantly brace yourself during everyday interactions? This bracing response is both understandable and exhausting. Let's talk about why it happens and what you can do to calm it.
open.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 3:12 PM
“If you've lived through complex trauma, betrayal, or chronic mistreatment, your nervous system has learned to treat the world like a battlefield.”
#cptsd #cptsdrecovery #emotionalhealing #mentalhealth #hypervigilance #complextrauma #traumarecovery #betrayaltrauma
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsd #cptsdrecovery #emotionalhealing #mentalhealth #hypervigilance #complextrauma #traumarecovery #betrayaltrauma
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
“Perhaps the most important skill for becoming your own first responder is learning to speak to yourself with compassion instead.”
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdhelp #cptsdrecovery #mentalhealth #innercritic #selfhelp #selfhealing #selfcompassion #emotionalhealing #narcabuse #abusesurvivor
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdhelp #cptsdrecovery #mentalhealth #innercritic #selfhelp #selfhealing #selfcompassion #emotionalhealing #narcabuse #abusesurvivor
8 Ways to Emotionally Support Yourself When No One Else Does
What can you do when no one is giving you closure, safety, or nurturing? Here are 8 needs trauma survivors have and what you can do to meet them yourself.
open.substack.com
June 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM
“Perhaps the most important skill for becoming your own first responder is learning to speak to yourself with compassion instead.”
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdhelp #cptsdrecovery #mentalhealth #innercritic #selfhelp #selfhealing #selfcompassion #emotionalhealing #narcabuse #abusesurvivor
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdhelp #cptsdrecovery #mentalhealth #innercritic #selfhelp #selfhealing #selfcompassion #emotionalhealing #narcabuse #abusesurvivor
June 25, 2025 at 2:59 PM
“When you're in functional freeze, it's not that you won't engage with life – it's that your system currently can't do so without perceiving serious threat.”
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdrecovery #cptsdhealing #MentalHealth #functionalfreeze #narcabuse #complextrauma #traumahealing #cptsd
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdrecovery #cptsdhealing #MentalHealth #functionalfreeze #narcabuse #complextrauma #traumahealing #cptsd
"I've Forgotten How to Live a Normal Life": Understanding Functional Freeze After Trauma
When basic tasks drain all your energy and what seems easy for others feels impossible for you, this isn't weakness. It's your nervous system protecting you. Here's why it happens and how to heal.
open.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
“When you're in functional freeze, it's not that you won't engage with life – it's that your system currently can't do so without perceiving serious threat.”
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdrecovery #cptsdhealing #MentalHealth #functionalfreeze #narcabuse #complextrauma #traumahealing #cptsd
open.substack.com/pub/ellentif...
#cptsdrecovery #cptsdhealing #MentalHealth #functionalfreeze #narcabuse #complextrauma #traumahealing #cptsd
“Like an athlete reviewing game footage… you might be searching for those crucial moments where things went wrong and how you might improve next time.”
#cptsdrecovery #rumination #healingfromabuse #cptsd #cptsdhealing #narcissisticabuse #mentalhealth #traumahealing #traumarecovery #complextrauma
#cptsdrecovery #rumination #healingfromabuse #cptsd #cptsdhealing #narcissisticabuse #mentalhealth #traumahealing #traumarecovery #complextrauma
"Why Can't I Stop Replaying It In My Head?" How Rumination Dominates Our Minds Post Abuse
Have you lost too much time trying to make sense of the senseless or solve the unsolvable? Narcissistic abuse can do that to you. How rumination both hurts and helps, and how to redirect.
open.substack.com
June 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
“Like an athlete reviewing game footage… you might be searching for those crucial moments where things went wrong and how you might improve next time.”
#cptsdrecovery #rumination #healingfromabuse #cptsd #cptsdhealing #narcissisticabuse #mentalhealth #traumahealing #traumarecovery #complextrauma
#cptsdrecovery #rumination #healingfromabuse #cptsd #cptsdhealing #narcissisticabuse #mentalhealth #traumahealing #traumarecovery #complextrauma
June 14, 2025 at 1:55 AM
"It's extremely likely that a person who stays in a narcissistically abusive dynamic has been brainwashed."
#brainwashing #manipulation #narcissism #narcissist #narcissisticabuse #gaslighting #mindgames #criticalthinking #cults #complextrauma #complexptsd
ellentift.substack.com/p/brainwashi...
#brainwashing #manipulation #narcissism #narcissist #narcissisticabuse #gaslighting #mindgames #criticalthinking #cults #complextrauma #complexptsd
ellentift.substack.com/p/brainwashi...
Brainwashing: If It Happened to You, Would You Know It?
If you've been in a relationship with a narcissist for any length of time, you've likely been brainwashed. The longer and more severe the abuse, the more extreme the manipulation, but you can heal.
ellentift.substack.com
June 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
"It's extremely likely that a person who stays in a narcissistically abusive dynamic has been brainwashed."
#brainwashing #manipulation #narcissism #narcissist #narcissisticabuse #gaslighting #mindgames #criticalthinking #cults #complextrauma #complexptsd
ellentift.substack.com/p/brainwashi...
#brainwashing #manipulation #narcissism #narcissist #narcissisticabuse #gaslighting #mindgames #criticalthinking #cults #complextrauma #complexptsd
ellentift.substack.com/p/brainwashi...
Reposted by Ellen Tift
“Even when manipulators present a caring facade, their actions consistently prioritize control over genuine connection, and their own desires over others' wellbeing.”
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
How Can You Tell When You're Being Manipulated? And How Can You Stop It?
They use your best qualities against you, and before you know it, you're choosing things that harm you. What it can look like, how it feels in your body, and solid tactics to break free.
open.substack.com
June 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM
“Even when manipulators present a caring facade, their actions consistently prioritize control over genuine connection, and their own desires over others' wellbeing.”
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
June 9, 2025 at 2:40 PM
“Even when manipulators present a caring facade, their actions consistently prioritize control over genuine connection, and their own desires over others' wellbeing.”
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
How Can You Tell When You're Being Manipulated? And How Can You Stop It?
They use your best qualities against you, and before you know it, you're choosing things that harm you. What it can look like, how it feels in your body, and solid tactics to break free.
open.substack.com
June 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM
“Even when manipulators present a caring facade, their actions consistently prioritize control over genuine connection, and their own desires over others' wellbeing.”
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
#abusetactics #manipulation #manipulationtactics #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissist #covertabuse #gaslighting #abuserecovery #cptsd
"Many survivors report feeling uncomfortable in their own skin, no longer recognizing or trusting the body that houses them."
#complextrauma #ComplexPTSD #cptsdrecovery #cptsd #cptsdhealing #bodymemory #traumahealing #trauma #traumarecovery #narcissisticabuse
ellentift.substack.com/p/body-memor...
#complextrauma #ComplexPTSD #cptsdrecovery #cptsd #cptsdhealing #bodymemory #traumahealing #trauma #traumarecovery #narcissisticabuse
ellentift.substack.com/p/body-memor...
Body Memory: How Trauma Rewires You—And How to Reclaim Your Physical Wellbeing
Do you smell different after trauma? We'll discuss the physiological changes one might experience, healing approaches, practitioners to find, tests to request, and scripts for medical conversations.
ellentift.substack.com
June 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
"Many survivors report feeling uncomfortable in their own skin, no longer recognizing or trusting the body that houses them."
#complextrauma #ComplexPTSD #cptsdrecovery #cptsd #cptsdhealing #bodymemory #traumahealing #trauma #traumarecovery #narcissisticabuse
ellentift.substack.com/p/body-memor...
#complextrauma #ComplexPTSD #cptsdrecovery #cptsd #cptsdhealing #bodymemory #traumahealing #trauma #traumarecovery #narcissisticabuse
ellentift.substack.com/p/body-memor...
“If you're reading this & feeling a growing sense of recognition—seeing that…your relationships have been built on self-abandonment, obligation, or trauma bonding rather than genuine love…you're not alone.”
#loveisachoice #loveisaction #traumabond #complextrauma #complexptsd #cptsd #cptsdhealing
#loveisachoice #loveisaction #traumabond #complextrauma #complexptsd #cptsd #cptsdhealing
They Say They Love Me, But Keep Hurting Me. Can Love and Harm Coexist?
Do they love you? Do you love them? How to tell the difference between love and something else. Let's break down why we stay when authentic love is scarce and where to start healing.
open.substack.com
June 1, 2025 at 4:29 PM
“If you're reading this & feeling a growing sense of recognition—seeing that…your relationships have been built on self-abandonment, obligation, or trauma bonding rather than genuine love…you're not alone.”
#loveisachoice #loveisaction #traumabond #complextrauma #complexptsd #cptsd #cptsdhealing
#loveisachoice #loveisaction #traumabond #complextrauma #complexptsd #cptsd #cptsdhealing
“The manipulation hides behind a façade of concern, making it difficult…to identify what's happening until independence has been significantly compromised.”
#eldercare #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissists #elderabuse #elderlycare #ElderAbuseAwareness #ElderAbusePrevention
#eldercare #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissists #elderabuse #elderlycare #ElderAbuseAwareness #ElderAbusePrevention
"For Your Own Good": Elder Abuse by Narcissistic Adult Children
What looks like caregiving can sometimes be control in disguise. Learn how elders are isolated, manipulated, and exploited — and why it’s so hard to see until it's too late.
open.substack.com
May 30, 2025 at 3:51 PM
“The manipulation hides behind a façade of concern, making it difficult…to identify what's happening until independence has been significantly compromised.”
#eldercare #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissists #elderabuse #elderlycare #ElderAbuseAwareness #ElderAbusePrevention
#eldercare #narcissisticabuse #covertnarcissists #elderabuse #elderlycare #ElderAbuseAwareness #ElderAbusePrevention
“When you’ve grown up in an environment where expressions of anger were punished, or where anger was wielded as a weapon against you, your relationship with this emotion becomes distorted.”
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney #healingafterabuse #betrayaltrauma
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney #healingafterabuse #betrayaltrauma
Anger: Is It the Poison Slowly Killing You, or the Antidote That Can Save You?
Struggling with anger after abuse? Learn how to understand, honor, and transform anger into a source of healing, protection, and empowerment in this compassionate guide for CPTSD survivors.
open.substack.com
May 28, 2025 at 3:03 PM
“When you’ve grown up in an environment where expressions of anger were punished, or where anger was wielded as a weapon against you, your relationship with this emotion becomes distorted.”
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney #healingafterabuse #betrayaltrauma
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney #healingafterabuse #betrayaltrauma
“ten small humiliations don't create ten units of harm but rather multiply in impact…This explains why targets of repeated humiliation often appear to 'overreact' to what others perceive as minor incidents”
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #whatiswrongwithme #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #whatiswrongwithme #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney
"Can't You Take A Joke?" How Small Things Can Lead to Existential Humiliation (2 of 2)
Have you ever found yourself suddenly humiliated, yet forced to pretend otherwise in front of people? How covert narcissists intentionally do this to their targets while appearing perfectly innocent.
open.substack.com
May 26, 2025 at 4:59 PM
“ten small humiliations don't create ten units of harm but rather multiply in impact…This explains why targets of repeated humiliation often appear to 'overreact' to what others perceive as minor incidents”
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #whatiswrongwithme #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney
#cptsdhealing #cptsd #complextrauma #whatiswrongwithme #narcissisticabuse #healingjourney
“Think of your sense of self as a magnificent tree…Existential shame is like a hidden fungus…the tree still grows…But internally, this…has spread throughout the inner pathways where water and nutrients flow.”
#cptsd #healingjourney #cptsdhealing #complextrauma #healingshame #whatswrongwithme
#cptsd #healingjourney #cptsdhealing #complextrauma #healingshame #whatswrongwithme
"I Feel Fundamentally Wrong... As A Human" Healing Existential Shame (1 of 2)
Do you flinch at the slightest critique? Do you obsess over small mistakes? How a core belief that you are unacceptable as a human being can blow up your life. And what to do about it.
open.substack.com
May 24, 2025 at 3:43 PM
“Think of your sense of self as a magnificent tree…Existential shame is like a hidden fungus…the tree still grows…But internally, this…has spread throughout the inner pathways where water and nutrients flow.”
#cptsd #healingjourney #cptsdhealing #complextrauma #healingshame #whatswrongwithme
#cptsd #healingjourney #cptsdhealing #complextrauma #healingshame #whatswrongwithme