Dr. Sandra E. Cohen

Who will hurt you the most? That’s the hidden question in Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour.  And, as a woman, how do you tell? It’s by seeing (or not seeing) red flags. Sometimes, you can’t see them when you’re lonely or hungry for attention and love. Other times, when you have reasons not to…

When you’ve already lost too much and live in fear of more loss, that can make you disconnect. This is where we find the three sisters in Azazel Jacobs’s His Three Daughters. Disconnected. They each have a method of disconnection and each has her reasons. But disconnection is lonely and creates more loss, even if…

If you’ve experienced past trauma, an old trauma trigger will bring on Anxiety. And, for Riley Anderson in Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2, it’s her fear of being alone. So, it isn’t just the new emotions of puberty that make Anxiety now take center stage and push away Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust into…

Man Versus Bear went viral. Even though a controversy rages, let’s be clear about why the Bear wins. The Bear gets the vote because of the past traumas and shattered trust of too many women. Those women have experienced childhood trauma, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and later sexual traumas, mostly perpetrated by a man that…

Do you have FOMO? FOMO can drive you crazy. Likely you have low self-esteem and “social comparison” anxiety. So, if you want to cure your FOMO, just quitting scrolling on social media isn’t enough. You wouldn’t be caught up comparing yourself (and always falling short), and maybe then buying things to try to make yourself…

Sadness matters. Especially after trauma. Every feeling matters—all the time. Feelings are normal and human. We all have them. Yet, do you – Fight them? Hide them? Feel Shame about them? Want to crawl under a table if they show? Peter Doctor’s Inside Out isn’t just a children’s movie. It’s for everyone who struggles with…

Adults suffering childhood trauma is all too common, even if you thought you got over it. You grew up. Did the best you could and “moved on.” But, you’ve had a lot of struggles. You’ve suffered anxiety. You don’t feel lovable. And, you haven’t been able to find love that works. You’re afraid of wanting…

Do you think you might have childhood trauma? Something’s been nagging at you. You can’t remember anything specific, but you’ve been wondering about it. You’ve heard about repressed childhood trauma in adults. What is that exactly? Do you have it? How could you find out? That’s a tough question If you did suffer trauma in…

Did you suffer abandonment as a child? Were you neglected? The child of divorce. In foster care. Or left to figure things out on your own? If so, you may still be suffering the effects. It’s very likely that you have abandonment trauma and don’t know it. This can go on for years. It’s never…