Today is the 13 year anniversary of my first rape. Technically, it was on October 25th, but it was on a Saturday—and this Saturday morning, October 22nd 2016 ,is when my body chose to remember it. I’ve written before of “anniversary reactions” in people with PTSD, and I woke up this morning thinking “holy shit, the […]
Tag Archives: PTSD
January
27
Discussing post-traumatic growth with special guest G. Donald Cribbs
posted by Apryl Pooley
I’m so pleased to have G. Donald Cribbs stop by The Egghead Agenda on his blog tour for his newly released (just last week!) book, The Packing House. He will discuss the the exciting concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG). As you may know, I’m a neuroscientist who researches the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) […]
November
06
Resiliency and success
posted by Apryl Pooley
In my field of PTSD research, the word resilience comes up a lot. Why are some people resilient after trauma while others develop PTSD? I often question whether PTSD represents a lack of resilience or is just a normal response, given an individual’s resources, that allows one to survive life-threatening trauma. Merriam-Webster defines psychological […]
August
30
Before and After: A Life Shaped by Abuse
posted by Apryl Pooley
I started therapy in 2012 for…well, for a lot of things. For those of you new to the blog (welcome!), please feel free to peruse the site for the backstory. The major turning point in my ability, or rather lack of ability, to function was my rape as a 17-year-old. In order to determine the […]
August
13
Should campus rapists remain in the university system?
posted by Apryl Pooley
Part 1 of this blog stemmed from an article interviewing, Hanna Stotland, a college admissions consultant and lawyer who “gets students accused of rape back into school.” When questioned about campus sexual assault, people tend to fall into two camps regarding their opinion of perpetrators: either they’re monsters who can never be redeemed and […]
August
01
Who are campus rapists and what should we do with them?
posted by Apryl Pooley
Part 1 of 2. In the past two weeks, the media has focused a flood of attention on the perpetrators of sexual misconduct on college campuses. Who are these people? Why do they assault? What happens to them if they get caught? A long-held belief is that most sexual assailants are repeat-offenders—that a vast […]
June
02
Grounds for Outrage
posted by Apryl Pooley
Journalist Emily Yoffe has tried to “disprove” just about every story of rape that is publicized, especially if it’s related to a college campus. She blames anyone but the perpetrators to show that this “rape epidemic” is really just college kids drinking too much and doing things they regret or are confused about. She believes […]
April
28
Where the Sidewalk Ends
posted by Apryl Pooley
When I graduated high school eleven years ago, I vowed to never step into a high school again. Especially not one with the same mascot as mine—TROJANS. And definitely not to talk about how I was raped in high school. But I did just that at the East Lansing High School board meeting tonight. […]
March
20
12 Steps of Grey
posted by Apryl Pooley
A recent episode of This American Life profiled Tina Dupuy, a girl who started going to AA at age 13. Even after 20 years of sobriety, Tina still went to meetings once a month, but she suddenly started to wonder if she really ever was an alcoholic. What if she could have just one drink? […]
December
08
The State of Affairs
posted by Apryl Pooley
Michael Brown. Eric Garner. The public turning their back on the girl who recounted her UVA gang rape in Rolling Stone. Bill Cosby. MSU inviting a rape apologist to speak at commencement this weekend and giving him an honorary doctorate in humanities. It’s too much. With all of these stories in the news, the lack of progress […]
The Egghead Agenda 