Janyne in Snapshots
Trauma-Informed Survivor:
My first three BRAVE books tell the story of an amazing child who figured out how to survive and appear like she was thriving. They are a tribute to survivors of childhood sexual abuse who even as they struggle, are the strongest people you could ever meet. The damage caused to the developing brain by relational and physical trauma is not well understood as natural physical and emotional reactions, especially by those who have experienced it. Those who choose to heal are my most revered heroes. I have traveled that harrowing path. For the survivor who is reading this, healing from the effects of your trauma is worth it!
Trauma-Informed Author & Advocate:
I became an advocate the moment I heard this phrase: "There isn't anything wrong with you; something bad happened to you." As a person of faith, becoming trauma-informed helped me to see others and their behaviors as Jesus does. Almost all mental health problems have their roots in childhood experiences. Trauma-informed practices are needed in every part of our society including church, schools, and our justice system.
Trauma-Informed Educator:
My career in education spanned forty years. I was as a preschool teacher and director, a kindergarten teacher, and then a teacher-educator (for 33 years). My former students span the globe and I am still teaching them--this time about the effects of trauma in their classrooms. My role as a member of the Board of Directors for the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN) grew out of my desire to help teachers work with students who exhibit the effects of trauma. The Ph.D. after my name is in Educational Leadership with a dual emphasis in Early Childhood and Math Education.
Trauma-Informed Human:
My understanding of trauma permeates every part of my life as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and person of faith. I am adventurous (and struggle with driving), friendly (with lingering trust issues), an optimist (and prone to catastrophic thinking), a justice fighter (with still unrecognized biases), a deep lover of God (who still gets triggered by many church traditions), and a mama-bear who is determined to end generational patterns (while still occasionally unwittingly following them). I love my family, church, friends, fellow trauma-warriors, and community. My joy is found in simple things as well as watching how healing changes lives.
