Returning to the Heart: Daoist Reflections on Childhood Trauma’s Deepest Wound
There was a time I didn’t know what was missing. I wasn’t exactly numb. But I still wasn’t living. Joy seemed to be something reserved for others. Stillness seemed out of reach. I could function—stay organized, finish tasks—but internally, I felt… all over the place. Disconnected. Like I was living apart from myself, not inside […]
When Being Yourself Wasn’t Safe: How Relational Trauma Teaches Self-Rejection
One of the most agonizing and ignored effects of childhood complex trauma is the quiet, insidious way it teaches you to reject your identity, to reject who you are. Not by violence or explosive outbursts but by little, consistent messages that who you are is somehow wrong. Overly sensitive. Overly emotional. Overly needy. Excessive. Or […]
How Childhood Complex Trauma Warps Your Mind—And Your Sense of Who You Are
Have you ever wondered, “What’s wrong with me?” Not just once in a while, but like… all the time. You have this low-key (or not-so-low-key) feeling that you’re screwing everything up or that you’re not really who others believe you are even when things are officially going well—your job’s good, people seem to like you, […]
What Is Agency? A Fundamental Concept for Understanding Trauma and Healing
Let’s discuss agency; it’s one of those topics that, once you grasp it, changes how you’ll perceive everything. Agency is fundamentally your capacity for free will and meaningful action in your own life. It’s the reason you feel in control of your own direction. Because life is chaos, it doesn’t give you control over everything; […]
Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with the Spiritual Aspect of Being After Childhood Trauma
Childhood trauma can severely impact our spiritual selves and leave behind scars that aren’t just physical or emotional. Many of us go years without realizing the spiritual damage such early events create, which leaves us feeling cut off from meaning, purpose, even our own sense of self. Healing these spiritual scars has been the most […]
Understanding the Connection Between Childhood Complex Trauma and Depression
For those who’ve been struggling with depression—especially if it seems like it’s been there for years—it can feel like an impenetrable shadow. The frustrating fact is that many of us never really understood where it was coming from. I only recently realized that my own struggles with depression were connected to the trauma I experienced […]