I’m a 61 year old single woman. There has been no “before the trauma” for me. I feel like I was born into an unsafe world. My father was an alcoholic, my mother’s attention was taken up dealing with him. When I was 12 my parents divorced and my mother’s moved us to a different city far away from family and friends. By 16 I had to put myself in a psychiatric hospital because I could no longer function through the anxiety and depression. After years of therapy which helped somewhat, and just feeling wrong and broken, I discovered trauma and somatic therapy. And slowly I’ve learned how to live my life. I’ve learned how to manage my dysregulated nervous system and how to care for the parts of me inside that are hurt. I’ve also found hope in being with others, struggling like myself. We know what it’s really like. We can be there for each other. That is where healing can begin.