240 SelfWork: How Do You Survive... Survivors Guilt

It’s been long known in the field of trauma that people who survive a car wreck, a mass shooting, or now, a worldwide viral pandemic – can often struggle with questions about why they survived, while someone right next to them, or someone they loved, did not. Parents who buried their children. Teachers who saw students gunned down. And of course, it’s a huge part of the PTSD felt by soldiers returning from war or anyone going through trauma.

So today’s episode, sponsored by Athletic Greens, focuses on surviving your own guilt. But survivor’s guilt can also exist in a milder or perhaps we should say in a more subtle form. Someone’s house that remained standing after a tornado destroys others’ homes. A mom with three children whose best friend can’t get pregnant. Someone whose family openly accepted them as gay or trans while a partner’s family disowned them.

Our listener email is from someone whose teenager has come to them, telling them he is gay. And they turned to me for advice on where to go for good advice. I’ll do my best to let them, and you, know.

Important Links:

Click Here for the fabulous offer from Athletic Greens with bonus product with your subscription!

Two links from Grown and Flown's website: Advice on how to support your bisexual gay teen and 12 tips to help gay teens (both these references have great links to other sources...)

How to help someone come into their "window of tolerance"

Wonderful article from a counseling website on survivor guilt

19 Survivor guilt symptoms

You can hear more about survivors guilt and many other topics by listening to Dr. Margaret’s podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to this website and receive her weekly blog posts and podcasts!

If you'd like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!

My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is available! And you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.

And there's another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You'll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you're giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I'll look forward to hearing from you!

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