When I Tell You My Story

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been working to heal to a point where I’m comfortable sharing my story. Writing my first memoir helped that tremendously; now that my story has been written and subsequently read by complete strangers, it’s gotten easier, somehow, to verbally share my story in face-to-face interactions. While I don’t... Continue Reading →

Voicing My Story

It all begins with my story, one that began long before I could even speak…one that continues to haunt me to this day as additional memories surface. The thing I’ve learned about healing, though, is that I have to start with what happened to me, that way I can process my feelings and find a way to deeply understand that as much as I didn’t deserve what happened to me, I am also more than the sum of my traumas. And, in part, this is what happened to me.

My Trauma Type, Part One

I’ve been reading Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker, and yesterday, I read chapter six, “What is My Trauma Type?” As I was reading, I realized I’ve had different responses to different traumas, which completely blew my mind. For years, I’ve struggled identifying my “trauma type,” primarily because I believed an individual... Continue Reading →

“Life is brutiful.”

Last Monday, I started reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Again. I read it last year when I was in a prolonged triggered-state by the investigation into my former teacher’s sexual misconduct—a gift from my bestie. I started reading it again last week because it was the only thing that made sense to me. And after... Continue Reading →

Own Your Strength

If you’ve been following my story for a while, you’re aware that I’m part of a group of former students who are working together to implement better procedures for vetting potential teachers—specifically teachers who have had sexual harassment and/or assault allegations brought against them by their students. (See an article about this by Emmy-winner Kara... Continue Reading →

Dear Brutus,

In January of 2020, I embarked on a quest to read all one hundred books on the “Must-Read” list compiled by Goodreads. These evaluations are completed in two posts over on my book blog, The Pensive Bookworm—one is an analysis and my opinion regarding the book’s inclusion, the second is a review. Last year, I... Continue Reading →

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