CPTSD Awareness: Recognizing Hidden Trauma Responses and Paths to Healing

You may have seen posts about “CPTSD Awareness Month” spreading across social media this September, with many women sharing their experiences and recognizing trauma responses they never realized were connected to their past. This grassroots awareness movement has emerged from growing recognition that many trauma responses don’t fit traditional PTSD frameworks, particularly for women and female-identifying individuals who’ve experienced prolonged,

Finding Healing Through Connection: Mental Health Treatment Center for Women in San Diego with Equine Therapy

When you’re searching for a mental health treatment center in San Diego that truly understands women’s unique healing journey, it can feel overwhelming to navigate the many options available. If you’ve been struggling with mental health concerns and looking for women’s mental health centers in San Diego that offer equine therapy, or simply wondering if equine therapy would be helpful

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What Is Equine Therapy for Mental Health? A Comprehensive Guide

When traditional talk therapy feels insufficient for addressing deep-rooted trauma or mental health challenges, many women are discovering the transformative power of equine therapy for mental health. At Monima Wellness Center in San Diego, we integrate this innovative approach into our comprehensive treatment programs, witnessing remarkable breakthroughs in healing and recovery. Equine therapy for mental health involves therapeutic interactions with

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Am I Just Moody or Is This Bipolar? Understanding Mood Episodes in Women

If you’ve been wondering, “Why do I feel so unstable all the time?” or struggling to understand intense mood swings that seem to control your life, you’re not alone. For many women, these experiences may signal bipolar disorder—a treatable mental health condition that affects approximately 2.8% of adults, with recent research showing women are increasingly diagnosed more frequently than men.

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How to Heal Avoidant Attachment Style: A Path to Deeper Connection

For many people, the idea of vulnerability in relationships feels uncomfortable, even threatening. If you find yourself pulling away when partners get too close, struggling to express emotions, or feeling suffocated by others’ needs for intimacy, you may have developed an avoidant attachment style. While this pattern once served as protection, it can create barriers to the deep, meaningful connections

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What Is A Trauma Response?

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by memories, emotions, or triggers that bring you back to a painful experience, you’re not alone. Trauma can leave lasting marks on both your body and mind, causing automatic responses that aim to shield you from further harm. These are called trauma responses, and they can show up in your daily life, affecting your relationships,

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Attachment Disorder in Adults

Attachment disorders are complex mental health conditions that stem from disrupted early relationships and can significantly impact how we connect with others throughout our lives. While attachment disorders are primarily diagnosed in childhood, their effects often persist into adulthood, creating significant challenges in forming and maintaining healthy relationships, regulating emotions, and developing a stable sense of self. Monima Wellness Center

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How to Heal An Anxious Attachment Style

Developing secure, healthy relationships starts with understanding our attachment patterns. For those with anxious attachment styles, relationships can feel like an emotional rollercoaster, filled with intense connections, fear of abandonment, and constant worry about a partner’s feelings. The good news is that with awareness and the right approach, it’s possible to heal these patterns and develop more secure, fulfilling connections.

10 Examples of Gaslighting

Have you ever found yourself constantly second-guessing your own thoughts, feelings, or even memories? If so, you may be experiencing gaslighting—a subtle yet dangerous form of emotional abuse that manipulates your sense of reality. Gaslighting can happen in any relationship, whether it’s romantic, familial, or professional, and its long-term impact on mental health can be devastating. At Monima Wellness Center,

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Mental Health Support for Spouses & Partners of Active Duty Military Service Members

Military life creates unique mental health challenges for the spouses and partners of service members. At Monima Wellness Center, we understand that while you may not wear the uniform yourself, you carry significant emotional burdens that deserve specialized support and recognition. The Hidden Struggles of Military Spouses The life of a military spouse often involves frequent relocations, extended separations, constant

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Military Sexual Trauma: Understanding, Healing, and Recovery

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) refers to experiences of sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred during military service. These traumatic experiences can have profound and lasting effects on a person’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This resource aims to provide education about MST, its impacts, and pathways to healing. If you or a loved one is looking for

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Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist: What’s the Difference Between Mental Health Providers?

When you’re seeking help for mental health concerns, navigating the various types of mental health professionals can feel overwhelming. At Monima Wellness Center in San Diego, we understand that knowing the difference between a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a therapist is crucial to finding the proper support for your unique needs. This comprehensive guide will help you understand the distinctions

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What is Somatic Therapy?

In the evolving landscape of mental health treatment, somatic therapy has emerged as a powerful approach that honors the profound connection between mind and body. At Monima Wellness, we recognize that healing doesn’t just happen in the mind—our bodies hold our experiences, traumas, and emotions in ways that traditional talk therapy alone may not address. Understanding Somatic Therapy Somatic therapy

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Dry January: Monima Wellness Discusses Substance Use With San Diego Magazine

Originally Published: January 15, 2025, in the San Diego Magazine. Written by Danielle Allaire. Exploring Dry January SDM staff writer Danielle Allaire documents her journey with sobriety for 30 days to better understand her relationship with alcohol in this four-part series. This is the second in a four-part series. See the first piece here and check back next week for updates on SDM staff

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Does Ketamine Therapy Get You High?

Ketamine, originally developed as an anesthetic in the 1960s, has become a transformative treatment for mental health conditions such as treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and anxiety. However, because of its association with recreational use as a party drug, many wonder, does ketamine therapy cause intoxication or a “high?” This article explores ketamine’s effects, how it differs in therapeutic settings versus recreational

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Yoga for Addiction Recovery in San Diego

Embarking on the journey to sobriety is life-changing. Incorporating holistic practices like yoga into your recovery journey can offer significant benefits, especially for women and female-identifying individuals who may also be healing from trauma or co-occurring mental health conditions. At Monima Wellness, a women’s outpatient trauma, mental health, and addiction treatment center in San Diego, we offer yoga as part

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Ketamine for Depression & Chronic Suicidal Ideation

Are you or a loved one struggling with depression or chronic suicidal thoughts, feeling like you’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to help? You’re not alone, and there is hope. Traditional treatments like antidepressants and psychotherapy are effective for many, but sometimes, they just don’t work. For those who haven’t found relief through conventional methods, ketamine therapy offers a promising

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San Diego’s First Mental Health Center Designed for Women

Originally Published: November 16, 2023, in the San Diego Magazine. Written by Danielle Allaire Monima Wellness Center Monima Wellness Center, San Diego’s first women-only mental health and trauma treatment center, is providing a much-needed safe space for mental health treatment. I remember taking the selﬁe that changed my life. This memento wasn’t for vanity. It was a digital dead reckoning

Dr. Shannon Franklin