If Not For Her

But, again, her daughter’s soul could not be confined to her mother’s desires.

Guest UserJuly 12, 2021women writers, trauma, writing, mothers, daughterComment

From Motherless To Mother

When I was one, my mother and I left my father in the middle of the night.

Megan FebuaryFebruary 1, 2021nonfiction, trauma, healing'Comment

NILF

This first time I heard this term was almost a decade ago, at work, of all places.

Guest UserAugust 31, 2020women writers, trauma, grief, raceComment

Highway 221 South

By the sixth grade I already knew how easily light could be extinguished, even when someone was young and strong.

Guest UserAugust 21, 2020women writers, grief, mental health, traumaComment

The Privilege of Telling The Truth: Trauma Recovery Should Be Available to All

My truth telling began not as a bold and beautiful expose, but a secret and sacred pushing of Post-Its on the wall behind the clothes in my closet. I had just graduated with a Bachelor of Theology, finished reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and felt inspired by the fictional character, May Boatright’s creation of her very own Wailing Wall.

Guest UserJuly 22, 2020trauma, healingComment

…And I Hate My Body A Little More

I’m 8 in the dressing room at a JC Penney and none of the clothes fit me, I sink to the floor.
My mom knocks at the door and says “Honey let me see, I’m sure you look pretty,”
But I don’t have the strength to tell her that once more, the clothes didn’t fit my shape.

Megan FebuaryJune 12, 2020body, healing, traumaComment

Sympathy for the Devil

My rape was a climax in a lifetime of trauma. Braver voices than mine have overcome the shame of violation, the lingering fear of violence and pressed onwards with their lives. I want to ask them, what did they do with the burning self-hatred?

Megan FebuaryDecember 4, 2019sexual trauma, sexual assault, trauma, me too, essay, literary magazine, writingComment

How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to 100 Calories?

I am 21. Impulsive, reckless, young, and the epitome of self sabotage. People often tell me, “You don’t know. You have no clue what the real world is like yet.” Maybe they’re right. Maybe I don’t, but I definitely know enough. All I have ever needed to know. I know this world wants to see me wither away, the embers of my soul burned to ash, into nothingness, just like me.

Megan FebuaryNovember 28, 2019mental health, eating disorder, trauma, mental health awareness Comments

The Quiet Rebel: Essay on Dissociation

My therapist says it’s important to stay tethered. I believe her.

Megan FebuarySeptember 23, 2019dissociation, trauma, healing, therapy, writing, essay Comment

The Body of an Adoptee

This is the moment I learn that my body does not belong to me. Forever a puppet in a battle that I did not choose.

Megan FebuaryJune 16, 2019adoption, body, adoptee, trauma, healing, writing, nonfiction, essay, storytellerComment

A Soft Place to Fall

I carry my most painful and traumatic experiences in my body. The body remembers. There are still some places that are so fragile and tender that they require extra nourishment, support, and intentionality.

Megan FebuaryApril 23, 2019trauma, sexual trauma, miscarriage, grief, yoga, wellness, healing, zabie yamasaki, nonfictionComment

Women's War

My very soul is a battleground for abuse and expectation, and my voice is roaring healing over it all.

Megan FebuaryApril 22, 2019nonfiction, trauma, healing, spirituality, sexual trauma, me tooComment

Wild Ferocity

I am at the edge of an archeological dig, excavating the discovery of my buried voice.

Megan FebuaryApril 21, 2019healing, therapy, dance, yoga, embodiment, trauma Comment

Choosing The Truth

My body wasn’t my enemy. It was a reflection, a mirror of the pain I felt in my soul and had suppressed.

Megan FebuaryApril 20, 2019chronic illness, trauma, healing, truth, storytellerComment

Healing Our Wounded Selves

In truth, there are wounded children in all of us that need to be loved back to life.

Megan FebuaryApril 20, 2019storyteller, trauma, healing, family, dreams, bodyComment