Category Archives: Recovery from trauma
Freedom without Forgiveness
In many religious traditions and twelve step programs, people are admonished to forgive those who have hurt them. I want to offer something for consideration from my lived experience. I grew up in households with five different step-fathers and numerous … Continue reading
Why It Takes Time to Heal
“Why can’t you just get over it?” “It happened so long ago, quit hanging on to it!” “Aren’t you through with that yet?” These are all things that have been said to me when I have been open about my … Continue reading
Survivors of an Invisible War
I am moved to think about my personal hell of sexual violence and physical violence as a collective trauma. Sexual violence is a collective trauma where the victims find each other by chance, through recovery groups, music, or art. It … Continue reading