Childhood Trauma Posts

Why Unfairness Can Feel Like a Threat Some people can watch a show, see the good guy get hurt, and move on with their night. I am apparently not those people. I have to pause the TV, leave the room, yell at the screen, or silently decide that eve…

There are some losses that split your life in half. Before this. After this. Rick Cheatham has lived through more than one of those dividing lines. He has walked through addiction, financial devastation, the murder of his son, and a catastrophic i…

First responder silence is often misunderstood. They think if someone is not talking, it means they are in denial. Or prideful. Or too stubborn to admit they are struggling. Sometimes that is true. But a lot of the time, silence is not about ego. I…

First responders are trained to control everything. Your reactions. Your emotions. Your face when things go sideways. That skill keeps you alive on the job. But it can quietly destroy your life outside of it. In Episode 149 of After the Tones Drop…