Generativity vs. Stagnation When you consider your life experiences, do your memories and experience create life, enthusiasm, or meaning? Or do they bring weight, disappointment, or despair? What does such a survey tell you about yourself? I suppose some young people may ask such questions, and I yield my hat. After 34 years as a therapist, I’ve observed that this inventory picks up speed as we age. Focusing on what breeds life becomes far more important than temporary

Medical trauma is unique because the threat often comes from the inside or from people we are supposed to trust. When you undergo an invasive procedure or face a sudden health crisis, your nervous system floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol. It triggers your stress response (fight, flight, freeze, or “caretake”). Normally, once a stressful event ends, your brain processes the memory and files it away. But when a medical event is overwhelming, that processing system