(I have been blessed by so many who have written to me and shared their healing paths which included both reading BRAVE: A Personal Story of

I used all my skill as an instructional designer when writing BRAVE. I have read books that throw graphic abuse details at you on the first

My blanket of brokenness had lots of layers. It had the parts I rejected and the parts I created to please the world. It also had a thousand

I am well aware that my book and the truth I tell will be a powerful statement about the effects of childhood trauma. The vulnerability requ

The day I walked into therapy, I got on a train to a new destination. Scott saw me departing and jumped on board. We have traveled over moun

When I include the word therapy in my blog titles, I hear crickets. Maybe I should just randomly include ‘God’ in the titles. Maybe that wou

For many abuse victims, there is a sense of knowing without knowing. Sometimes a memory floats around the edges of consciousness, but our de

Then, I felt it pass over me like a wave. It felt like I was just outside the place where the waves broke and crashed onto the sand. The emo

Finding a sense of Self out of a conglomeration of children, teens, young adults, and adults who would step in to lead (without warning when

While my journey through therapy was undoubtedly one of the loneliest times of my life, I am grateful for my husband who became my ‘Therapy

The day I walked into therapy, I looked and felt great--but I knew I needed help. A month later I was filling every trashcan in the office a

I really could have just pulled through to the other side and never told anyone—except for the fact that I was so tired of hiding. Living ou

I never knew I was dealing with shame. I knew I had excessive anxiety about the simplest of things like ordering food in a fast food restaur

The battle was worth it. The peace and freedom that I longed for is mine. It doesn’t look anything like I ever expected or hoped for, but it

It is way too easy for leadership in Christian settings to feel right (or righteous) about the decisions they make and simply believe that t

I said, “I need to finish this conversation another time.” To my horror, he said, “No, we are going to finish this right now.”I was probably

I stood in the doorway. I was very small, maybe two. I was sucking on my two middle fingers and watching my mother in the kitchen. I was for

I saw her stand up to give her testimony. Everything in me was screaming. "No! Don't do it!" But she did. In exquisite detail

(Courageous like a Lion! I am meeting many who have courageously gone to therapy and are now sharing their stories to help others. I will occasionally be highlighting their stories and resources in blogs.) A week or so ago, as a result of my connection with The Attachment and Trauma Network, I came across a video interview of Carrie O’Toole. The video led me from one thing to another and I realized we lived very close to each other. I communicated with her and we decided to m

It was natural to think of PTSD being a primarily military problem—until I met my own trauma and PTSD symptoms face to face.