So much of the healing process for me has been about the shameless and fearless integration of all of the best parts of the versions of – well, me. Unapologetically plastering a person together with pieces that I have saved, scraped off the floor, or created from scratch with a helping hand from Grace. I…
Author: Brittany
Boundaries.
If I could tell you anything.
When we were kids, I should have been a more loving, kind, supportive, and involved sister. Some parts of me wince at the thought of reminiscing over the past and the kind of person I used to be. Why didn’t I do more? Hug you more? Tell you it would all be okay? Still, I…
Discovering Beautiful, the book.
If you purchase a book, please consider leaving a quick review about how it may have inspired or impacted you to make some changes or see old things in a new way! Thank you so much.
Survivor. Guilt.
Only recently have I acknowledged how deep my guilt can still run. How the idea of a biological connection’s importance still feels so ingrained inside of my head. The world made me feel as if I owed my family something-that because we share DNA, I had to give more chances than were necessary, safe, or…
Untapped Keg Podcast Episode
I was thankful to have the opportunity to join in with Untapped Keg for an important conversation about addiction, recovery, boundaries and more. Enjoy my awkwardness, friends.
Stepping into Alignment
Depending on who you talk to and what they believe to be true, you will hear various ways to describe what I am sharing with you today, and this is just my own version, from my perspective, and from my personal experience. Childhood Trauma that is complex is literally like tornadic activity. It’s coming. You…
Thanks for Nothing & Thank you for Everything.
One of the hardest parts of processing my childhood trauma has been hurting the people in my family who don’t fully understand what I went through, the ones who refuse to acknowledge the things I endured and the ones who fully believe that I am speaking out to help others for attention to feed some…
Showing Up.
The internet talks a lot about self-care and how it’s not a selfish act. And it’s not. Not for those of us who developed habits and patterns of thinking that excluded us from being cared for. I spent my childhood caring for others. I cared for them because I thought it was my job. That…
Live.
Will I always struggle with some aspect of the after-effects of my experiences? I don’t know, maybe. And that’s okay. But it’s also okay to move forward. To create a new life. To experience joyful things. To live w/o being controlled by pain. To leave behind what doesn’t work. To let go of relationships that…
Carry the Message
I feel like my words written to you right now couldn’t accurately describe the depth of overwhelming gratitude that I have for any other survivors out there who reach out to me to let me know that somehow, in some small way, my words written from my deeply personal experiences have helped them or encouraged…
Clearing the Air
It never ceases to amaze me how far unhealthy, toxic, dysfunctional people will go to tesr people down. I feel like this is just another one of those things on the long list of consequences people from dysfunctional families don’t talk about often. Sometimes, no matter how far we move from the past, there are…
Complex Childhood Trauma
There are many layers to healing. Often, substance use disorder is the tip of the iceberg-especially if you experienced complex Childhood Trauma. I grew up with a parent who struggled with mental health issues and substance use disorder. For me, that meant my survial was lile my job. Every day. There were layers of consequences…
Remember to Heal Anyway.
There are always going to be people out there who criticize or judge or gossip about our decision to change our lives. And for those of us who come from unhealthy families, it can be confusing when family members are the ones doing it. How can these people, who know some of what we experienced,…
Stephen’s Center
I was humbled to be able donate my books to the resource library at Stephen’s Center! When I first started feeling the tug on my heart to share parts of my story, my hope was that my book would somehow, by the Grace of God, end up in rehabilitation facilities. I just wanted other hurting…
🧠Let it Flow & Let it Go ðŸ§
Through it all, I still feel peace. And that’s grace.There is no shame in the struggle. The traumatized brain takes time to heal and create new things.I have found that being honest about how I am feeling, making sure I realize and remember that having hard days is not a reflection of my worth or…
Out of the Shell.
The road to recovery. Often, people assume that this simply means sobriety. But for people who experienced complex childhood trauma for an extended period of time, “recovery” means something different. It’s more. It’s personal and diverse and it’s different for each one of us. Because we all react different to different, unhealthy, experiences. For me…
Origins.
Sometimes if I’m driving alone and in the area, I will stop here and reflect. This mobile home park is about a half-hour drive from where I currently live. The first memories I can recall were created here. I don’t stay parked outside for more than a few minutes, but there’s a part of me…
Early Recovery
I remember what it feels like to live in hiding. Afraid of what people would think if they knew the turmoil I held in my heart and fought in my mind everyday. I know what it feels like to want change but not know where to start first because your life is such a shit…
Focus.
I have always found it to be true, that what I’m focused on takes precedence over everything else in my mind. The rest fades into the background, getting lost in the muddled noise of my imperfect brain. So what I focus my energy on matters. I want my focus to be Jesus. Just Jesus. And…
Discovering Barriers Review
Escape
Chapter 8: Escape Outwardly, I was a rebellious teenager pushing limits, breaking rules, and defying authority. Inward- a girl pushing away real connections, breaking anyone or anything that tried to break through my walls, and defying anything that felt unsafe or asked for vulnerability. I was angry. Afraid. And obsessed with keeping myself safe. Long…
Discovering Barriers
Trauma is really hard to talk about. It’s hard to describe, and it’s hard for people to understand. Healing from trauma is a uniquely difficult journey. Barriers are everywhere. They get in our way. We fight, and they fight back. It can feel like our past is reluctant to let us go. There are things…
Mindset.
Don’t Give Up.
🖤 Do you know how deeply I believed that I wasn’t worth anything. That I wouldn’t ever contribute anything to this world. That a “person like me” didn’t matter? I tell you not to give up– because I know what that’s like. •••Do not give up – you have NO idea what God is going…
Freedom.
Freedom. For those of us in recovery, freedom means we are free to move forward. Finally, we aren’t surviving day to say. Drowning and gasping for something real to feel or hold onto. We are not tied or bound or held down by the things meant to take us down. We were held down and…
Boundaries
Do you know how deeply my mom’s feelings get hurt when I take my intermittent breaks from her life? It is so difficult. For her, and for me. For her because she doesn’t comprehend or understand or agree. For me, because I am aware. Fully conscious and aware that her feelings are hurt, and equally…
Women• Ladies•Teammates
We are on the same team.
Trauma, Self-Destruction & Healing
1. Book 1 in series: Discovering Beautiful Here’s how it all started to unravel, revealing the damaging power of Childhood Trauma and my toxic, inherent need to hide. I hit dark bottoms, ultimately, finding freedom from the grip of my past. 2. Book 2 in series: Discovering Barriers What has happened since? Is healing over?…
Trauma Healing- is Hard.
If you or someone you know is in the process of facing their traumatic past, please share my books with them. My hope is that they serve as an aid of encouragement-reminding Childhood Trauma Survivors that they are strong and courageous, and never alone in the fight for freedom and independence from the past. My…