Author: A.C. Brooke
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To be Soft Is To Be Brave
“No one will ever know the violence it took to become this gentle” This was originally posted to the Paper Birds Instagram on July 16th: Some more stream of consciousness since people seem to be connecting with these more than I thought. This will also be a bit of an extension of my post from…
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Reflections on Healing
The Beauty of Still Being Here This was originally posted to the Paper Birds Instagram on July 23rd: This felt very Paper Birds coded. Well, maybe not the film per say, but the journey it was inspired by. It’s such a weirdly beautiful thing to be alive at 24 when I didn’t even think I’d…
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Candid Reflections Prompted by A Chance Encounter
Return of the Nose Piercing This was originally posted to the Paper Birds Instagram on July 2nd: I got my nose pierced today. I went by myself, which felt like a win (was putting it off because I was nervous). While I waited, the girl next to me struck up a conversation. She asked if…
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Reflections While Beginning Treatment for ADHD
Shame, Vyvanse & Doodles, Oh My! A drawing I did depicting how my brain felt before EMDR, how it felt/feels ‘after’ two years of EMDR, and how it feels on Vyvanse, a type of ADHD medication. Might do a few posts related to this since it’s intertwined with the journey of Paper Birds. For now, a general update: I…
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Sitting Down with Dr. Jim Hopper: Last Interview for Paper Birds in the Books!
A quick Reflection: Taking Advantage of the Digital Age On Friday, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jim Hopper, PhD for my film, Paper Birds. I first connected with Jim Last fall. I was preparing to co-present a CEU when I happened to stumble upon a video of his I had saved a…
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Utilizing IFS: Mapping & Drawing My Parts
A Short Exercise I Did Outside of Session So I’ve been in EMDR for over a year and a half now, but more recently my therapist and I have switched gears to IFS, which I think I’ve found equally transformative. Yesterday, I actually mapped some of my parts (I’ll link the tool I used below)…
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How can you be haunted by something you can’t remember? Here’s how.
The First Half of Paper Birds Is Here! Paper Birds is a short documentary I’ve spent the last several years directing that explores the experience of living with fragmented trauma memories and the delayed-onset PTSD. Through personal stories, interviews, and symbolic visuals, it sheds light on what we mean when we say “the body remembers trauma”—and…
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8 Tips For Those Who Can’t Afford Therapy
8 Tips For Those Who Can’t Afford Therapy Unfortunately, mental health treatment is still not readily accessible for all. While we work towards making that happen, there are still some resources out there you can take advantage of. If you can’t afford traditional therapy, there are still several options to access mental health support and…
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What is Complex PTSD?
C-PTSD: WHat is it? Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a psychological condition that can develop in response to prolonged, chronic exposure to traumatic events, particularly those that involve interpersonal trauma, such as repeated childhood abuse, neglect, or long-term exposure to intimate partner violence. C-PTSD shares similarities with traditional PTSD but has additional features due…
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EMDR Exercise
An activity to help you look a little more into what you believe about yourself, the world and why EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) is an eight step process. However, the time spent in each of those eight steps is subject to change. Recently, I told my therapists that I felt ready to move on…
Project Paper Birds 