The Part of My Childhood That Still Hits the Hardest I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the relationship I had with my parents while I was growing up. And the part that’s always been the one that hits me the hardest is the one with my mom. Not because she did anything wrong, far […]
Trauma Recovery and Feelings of Change
The Strange Tug of Letting Go There are a lot of big feelings swirling around right now. Even the slightest push and pull, that weird tug-of-war between letting go of old things and making space for whatever’s coming next. It’s that in-between place where you’re halfway out of one chapter and not quite settled in […]
Healing Isn’t About Everyone Accepting You
When Growth Isn’t Enough for Others I was asked something recently that made me reflect a little: how do you reconcile with people who still won’t accept you, even after all the work you’ve done to heal and change? The simple answer is, you can’t. And that’s one of the hardest truths about growth. You […]
Why I Wish I Spoke Up as a Child
The Thing I Wish My Younger Self Knew Last night I caught myself thinking, what’s the one thing I’d tell my younger self if I had the chance? The answer came to me quick, sharp, and almost painful. Speak up. That’s it. That’s the answer. If you want to read more of what I’d tell […]
Healing Out Loud: Writing My Trauma Online
Why I Share My Story Online Some people keep diaries. I decided to keep mine on the internet, where strangers (hi!) can read it. And for someone who has always been a private person, it seems like an odd choice to make. On paper, it doesn’t make sense. Why would a guy who spent most […]
The Never-Ending CPTSD Checklist
Living with CPTSD is a Never-Ending Checklist Living with CPTSD, for me, is like living with a checklist that I’m constantly trying to check things off. The symptoms, the feelings, the actions. It’s like I’m carrying around this invisible clipboard. I’ll look at it and think: okay, did I manage my triggers today? Check. Did […]
