Readers Roost: PTSD

Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Insecure Writers Support Group July 2026 Meets Full Throttle Day One

July 1 question - Is there anything you'd like to see changed, added, and/or rearranged about the book publishing industry?

Yes. I would like for there to be continued easier access for independent authors to publish and sell their own works.

Today, however, I'm here to talk about a course I'm taking through AutoCrit to perhaps help me start being able to finish things again.

The course is called Full Throttle. It's a 30-day immersive drafting course.

The following is my answer to today's check-in question.

I already knew I was a plantser, but I took the quiz anyway.

I’ve opted to do a fairytale retelling to hopefully get myself back into regularly finishing projects. I write prolifically, but I rarely finish any of my fiction projects at this point. I have realized that the way I was writing before was akin to John Bradshaw’s “Body By Bondo” analogy. Bondo is a substance used in auto bodywork. Amateur auto enthusiasts without a lot of resources at their disposal use it to make repairs and cross their fingers that it holds. Consequently, that’s how I was managing every area of my life. My entire existence in this life, perhaps most especially my psychological state, is a Body By Bondo project.

Rather than seeing this as an endeavor that I will of course fail because I suck at everything, I’m trying to see it as a way to learn skills that will hopefully make not only my writing life but my life in general more manageable. Making impossible demands of myself and then beating myself up for failing to meet these demands is not working anymore, not that it ever really worked. I was just younger and able to beat myself up harder without immediate consequences in the past.

Ornery Owl Has Spoken

Free Use Image from Open Clipart Vectors

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

If you'd like to learn more about AutoCrit, follow this link.

https://bit.ly/SelfEditEasier

If you would actually like to buy Bondo, you can check it out here.

https://amzn.to/4va1GIS

If you'd like to buy John Bradshaw's book Healing the Shame That Binds You, click here.

https://amzn.to/4p4KcfB

I will earn a small commission for any purchases made through the above links.

Burned Out Book Blitz #rabtbooktours

Non-Fiction, Self-help

Date Published: May 29, 2026

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group

Burned Out evolved from conversations I had with a friend who had been a firefighter for 30 years. He shared stories about traumas he and his fellow firefighters experienced while on the job. We discussed universal challenges that first responders face in terms of not knowing what to do with this trauma, recognizing its symptoms, and the impact it had on family members and loved ones. I interviewed male and female paramedics, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) around the country to get their candid personal stories and experiences. I also interviewed family members. We all shared the goal of wanting to. help fellow first responders and family members understand the dynamics of trauma, its impact, and how they can get support to cope with its consequences with renewed understanding and resilience.

Key themes of book:

1. What types of trauma do first responders experience on the job?

2. How does it impact them physically and emotionally?

3. How does it affect their relationships with family members and loved ones?

4. How can first responders and family members understand and cope with these traumas?

5. What ways can they effectively communicate and understand the ramifications of trauma?

6. Where can they go for help to deal with the trauma and learn to heal from it?

Message for readers: My hope for those who read this book is that you will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices our first responders and their families make in the service of others. I believe reading these personal accounts in combination with the information, support, and resources provided will be invaluable to all who take the time to read Burned Out. I hope you will share it with others you believe might find it beneficial.

About the Author

Iris Waichler has been a well known patient advocate and licensed clinical social worker for the last 40 years. She began her career working with geriatric patients who experienced catastrophic illness and counseled them and their families about adapting to these medical problems. She helped them understand their medical condition helping them to cope with the disease and its impact on their lives.

She is an award winning author. In addition she is a prominent speaker presenting on topics related to infertility and caregiving. She has been featured in Redbook, Parade, MindBodygreen.com., Forbes Magazine and Next Avenue Magazine. She also has done many radio shows and podcasts.

Iris has taught and supervised social work students, medical students, interns, residents, and nurses about patient rights, ethics.

Ms. Waichler found herself in the role of a patient when she battled infertility for many years. The feelings of loss and helplessness she personally experienced were profound. She promised herself if she was successful in having a child she would do everything she could to help other people fighting infertility.

She authored a second award winning book, RIDING THE INFERTILITY ROLLER COASTER, A GUIDE TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE. This book won 4 awards including 2 best book of the year awards. The response was so great she began doing individual and group counseling with people who had infertility. She volunteered for RESOLVE, a national infertility group, and went on to do a series of radio interviews, magazine articles, workshops, and speeches on infertility topics.

Her book, ROLE REVERSAL, HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR AGING PARENTS, has won 8 major book awards. Her experience in caring for her beloved father, who died at age 97, triggered her passion in reaching out to others who suddenly find themselves in a caregiver role and are uncertain about what to do or where to go for help. In this book she shares her father’s inspiring story and her personal and professional experience in assuming the challenges that come with being a caregiver for an aging loved one.

Iris has been doing freelance writing for the last 18 years. The focus of her work has been on health related topics. She also does workshops and speeches offering caregiving tips for caregiver family members and educating healthcare professionals.

Ms. Waichler lives in Chicago with her husband, Steve, and her daughter, Grace and her mini golden doodle Brandi. She loves to travel whenever she can and to spend time with friends and family.

Contact Links

Purchase Links

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Insecure Writers Support Group 4 March 2026

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

March 4 question - What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

Sorry, but I'm not the right person to ask. I haven't launched a book in two years, and that was a poetry volume. I have had trouble completing fiction projects since my mother died last year. For some reason, this is one of my trauma responses.

It's distressing to me, because fiction writing has always brought comfort to me in times of trouble. I feel like my inner abusive parent is telling me I don't deserve comfort and besides, my fiction writing is crap and nobody wants to read it.

I have also experienced difficulty with doing book reviews, and I don't feel up to taking on full-on editing jobs at this point. I do want to start promoting my alpha and beta reading services again.

I haven't experienced the same difficulty with nonfiction writing. I post to my Substack fairly often, but not with any kind of predictable regularity. Many of my Substack posts feature the pieces I write from Eating Disorders Anonymous prompts.

naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com

I try to put up new YouTube videos twice a month, doing card readings near the full moon and the new moon. I'm not sure I'm up to doing the full moon reading this month. We shall see.

https://www.youtube.com/@CaraHTheTerribleOldWoman

On one hand, I find the authorpreneur idea appealing, particularly because my writing is well and away too weird for me to ever get offered a traditional publishing contract for anything but short stories. On the other hand, from what I've seen, these days trad published authors have to do their own marketing too.

Being an author as I understood it when I was younger really isn't a thing anymore. From my perspective, that's mostly a good thing. There's more room for unique voices. However, it is hard to get noticed. I'm really not up to fighting the tide at this point.

For those who were hoping for some great wisdom about creating a successful book launch, this isn't that. It also isn't a warning about what not to do during a book launch. Like most things I post, it is what it is.

Here's some relaxing lofi beats for you to enjoy while you ponder this post.

https://odysee.com/@aiartworks360:2/chill:bf?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

AutoCrit has a number of both craft and marketing workshops that subscribers can benefit from. I have been a lifetime member for going on three years now. If you sign up for an AutoCrit membership through my link, I will earn a small commission.

https://bit.ly/SelfEditEasier

This post was created using 4TheWords. If you use my code when you sign up for a 4TheWords account and purchase crystals to make your avatar look cool, we'll both earn crystals.

https://app.4thewords.com

Referral Code

HCXZH22404

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Women Therapists on Healing Release Blitz #rabtbooktours

11 Personal Essays about Overcoming Trauma

Psychology Nonfiction

Date Published: February 3rd, 2026
Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Women Therapists on Healing is a powerful anthology of personal essays from women therapists who know trauma from the inside out. This three-part collection braids lived experience with clinical wisdom, offering a compassionate lens on healing that crosses cultural, generational, and systemic boundaries.

Far beyond a typical guide to PTSD, this book challenges outdated narratives and sheds light on the effects of marginalized topics, such as chronic invisible illness, intergenerational trauma, racism, ritual abuse, and human trafficking.

This book will especially resonate with

● women recovering from trauma
● healers and advocates seeking growth and guidance
● health professionals committed to trauma-informed and anti-racist practices
● friends and family who love and support survivors

The diverse voices in these essays honor the arduous path of healing as a reckoning, a reclamation, and a sacred reminder that we do not walk alone.

About the Author

Award-winning author Susan Pease Banitt is a Harvard-trained psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker with over thirty years of experience in the field. In her work, she integrates western therapy with holistic practices like yoga, Reiki, and Celtic shamanism.

Her acclaimed books, The Trauma Tool Kit and Wisdom, Attachment, and Love in Trauma Therapy, are essential reading for anyone seeking a compassionate path to healing complex trauma.

Based in Portland, Oregon, she continues her coaching and consulting work through Lotus Heart Counseling, and she shares bite-size wisdom on TikTok as “The Lightworker Whisperer.” In her downtime, she enjoys RVing, gardening, performing improvisational comedy, and spending time with family and friends.

Contact Links

Instagram: @susanpeasebanitt

Purchase Links

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Women Therapists on Healing #rabtbooktours

11 Personal Essays about Overcoming Trauma

Psychology Nonfiction

Date Published: February 3rd, 2026
Publisher: Acorn Publishing

This book will especially resonate with

● women recovering from trauma
● healers and advocates seeking growth and guidance
● health professionals committed to trauma-informed and anti-racist practices
● friends and family who love and support survivors

The diverse voices in these essays honor the arduous path of healing as a reckoning, a reclamation, and a sacred reminder that we do not walk alone.

About the Author

Her acclaimed books, The Trauma Tool Kit and Wisdom, Attachment, and Love in Trauma Therapy, are essential reading for anyone seeking a compassionate path to healing complex trauma.

Contact Links

Instagram: @susanpeasebanitt

YouTube

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Shattered Compass Release Blitz #rabtbooktours

A Memoir of Loss, Escape, and Renewal

Memoir

Date Published: June 11, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

How does a young woman cope when she cannot speak the truth?

When nineteen-year-old Lenore experiences sexual assault while studying abroad in Italy, her entire world shifts. Survival becomes the focus of her daily life, physical illness grabs control of her body, and no one can free her from her pain. A ghost of herself, she takes the path of denial, believing it’s the only way to protect her loved ones and herself from her harsh reality.

On her journey toward peace, she assumes the expected roles of mother and wife, but a traumatic diagnosis puts her at a crossroads. She must start living the life she wants or roam her days as a victim in the chaos of fear. Lenore’s escape through travel allows her to reconcile the imprisonment she’s suffered over the years.

However, when another family tragedy strikes, Lenore understands she must finally come to terms with the silence she’s kept. But what if one incident that happened decades ago is too destructive, too deep to be excavated? Will she be able to find herself in the rubble? Or will she be lost forever?

About the Author

Award-winning travel writer Lenore Greiner grew up in Marin County where, at thirteen, she began her writing journey as a lifelong journal keeper.

At nineteen, her passion for adventure led her to Italy’s heart to study at the University for Foreigners in Perugia and immerse herself in the language and culture. There, the seeds of her memoir were sown.

Lenore has garnered eight prestigious Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing and was honored in Best American Travel Writing 2013, edited by Elizabeth Gilbert. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Fodor’s travel guides, and three volumes of Shaking the Tree, an annual anthology curated by the International Memoir Writers Association.

A graduate of UC Davis, Lenore married her college sweetheart, and they now call Southern California home. They share two kids, two kayaks, and too many rambunctious grandkids.

Contact Links

Purchase Links

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, October 18, 2024

Revisiting the Depths Book Blitz #rabtbooktours

Overcoming Fear and Finding Peace - A Journey of Transformation

Memoir, Self-Help

Date Published: September 30, 2024

Dive into the Depths of Fear and Emerge with Peace and Resilience: An Inspirational Journey

In Revisiting the Depths: Overcoming Fear and Finding Peace: A Journey of Transformation, award-winning author Amy Tan takes readers on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery, healing, and transformation. After a harrowing first dive experience leaves Amy paralyzed by fear and anxiety, she spends decades avoiding the ocean that once captivated her. Thirty years later, driven by a yearning to conquer her past and reconnect with the underwater world, Amy faces her deepest fears head-on. What begins as a quest to rediscover her passion for diving quickly becomes a profound journey of personal growth and healing.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Tioman Island, this award-winning memoir chronicles Amy's emotional and spiritual journey as she navigates the underwater world. With vivid descriptions and heartfelt reflections, Amy shares her experiences of overcoming personal obstacles, finding solace in nature, and reconnecting with her true self.

Guided by her compassionate divemaster, Sebastian, and supported by her loving husband, Amy learns to trust herself and embrace vulnerability. Each dive becomes a metaphor for life's challenges, offering lessons in resilience, courage, and the beauty of stepping out of one's comfort zone.

Revisiting the Depths is more than a memoir; it is a testament to the transformative power of nature and the enduring strength of the human spirit. Amy's story will inspire readers to confront their fears, seek peace in the natural world, and embark on their own journeys of self-discovery and healing.

Join Amy Tan on this unforgettable journey beneath the waves. Dive into Revisiting the Depths: Overcoming Fear and Finding Peace: A Journey of Transformation today and discover the profound lessons that await in the depths of the ocean.

About the Author

Amy Tan is an accomplished business executive and award-winning author with over twenty years of experience in corporate leadership and market expansion across Southeast Asia. She holds a Business Administration degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Postgraduate Certificate from the University of Nottingham.

Beyond her corporate role, Amy is a passionate storyteller, weaving her diverse experiences into narratives that explore personal growth, resilience, and transformation. Her latest book, Revisiting the Depths - Overcoming Fear and Finding Peace, which won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, recounts her emotional and spiritual journey as she overcomes a long-held fear of the ocean through diving.

Her other works, including Doing Business in ASEAN and China: An Ultimate Guide to Doing Business, showcase her expertise in regional economic integration. Having lived in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, Amy brings a rich, cross-cultural perspective to her writing, inspiring readers to overcome challenges and make positive changes. Her work highlights the powerful impact of storytelling on personal and professional development.

Contact Links

Purchase Links

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The Body Teaser Tuesday #rabtbooktours

Poems and Stories

Poetry, Women

Date Published: Jan 31, 2024

Publisher: Bookbaby

How do you stitch yourself back together after trauma, loss, grief, heartbreak? By inviting what is broken to become what is breathtaking. THE BODY is a collection of poems and short stories written in lyrical prose during the hardest moments of the author's life. This collection explores themes of love, loss, grief, seduction, creativity, consciousness, female empowerment, post- traumatic expansion, and the collective human experience. Because when words are not enough, art is the container that holds what the body cannot. And as the heart breaks open, the soul can be set free.

Be A Surrealist

Be a surrealist.

A beautiful life defies logic and conditioning.

It laughs in the face of convention and dares us to open ourselves to the terror of the possible–

…to lean into sorrow of joy’s inevitable departure.

Whichever dream cannot leave your mind, court her.

Lure her to your bed

and cook her breakfast in the morning.

For the moments you spend together in lock step will feel unreal and uncharted,

And the times you are apart will be beige with dry mouth.

Know this: everything that is not for you feels normal,

And everything that is yours

will terrify, seduce, and astound you with life surreal.

About the Author

Artist. Two-time TEDx talker. Singer-Songwriter. Entrepreneur. Novelist-Playwright. Ghostwriter. Mental Health Advocate. A no-holds barred journey of transformation and recovery from PTSD, Holly's story is a raw and honest testament to the power of creative resilience. Forged from the heartache of personal trauma, she's spun her pain into a wealth of creative prowess, shattering societal norms, and challenging the idea of 'spiritual bypassing.'

Holly's lyrical prose combines self-hypnosis with carefully crafted wordsmithing to ignite the senses and the soul through their musical cadence. Holly wrote, produced, and starred in her debut musical BLOOD SUPPLY: A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE LOVE STORY premiering in Los Angeles January 2023 to stellar reviews. She releases music under the artist name HOLLY HOLLOWS and resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Contact Links

Website

Instagram: @hollyanne_mitchell

Youtube: @hollyannemitchell

Tiktok @hollyanne.mitchell

Purchase Link

Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway