Welcome to my Healing Journey…
“The only way out is through”
-Robert Frost
Hey, I’m Mel.
This entire site has taken me a long time to build, and I am really excited to start sharing what I have learned while healing from CPTSD, the tools that have helped me the most, and the stories of my life. Welcome, and I hope you stay tuned for more.
Anxiety, depression, and my emotions have spent most of my life ruling my world. They shaped the way I interacted with life, how I showed up, and the choices I made. There is no part of my life they did not touch. What I once believed was a chronic sense of generalized anxiety and moderate depression turned out to be much more complex. While CPTSD is not formally recognized in the United States as part of the DSM-5, it is recognized in other countries, including those in Europe, as a separate diagnosis. There is already significant evidence supporting CPTSD as its own distinct condition, with more on the way. Hopefully, in the future, this will change and CPTSD will be recognized for the complex issue it truly is.
No one goes through life untouched by trauma, although some of us experience more and others less. Our resilience, tolerance, and emotional capacity vary from person to person. This is not a reflection of someone’s worth, but rather a reminder of how uniquely each of us is wired and how much thoughtful, tailored care we need. Many of us grew up without emotional coping skills beyond suppression and without real safety to express what we felt. Because of this, we often end up in a painful paradox. We are wired for connection as human beings, yet the very connection we need becomes something we fear.
Fear leaves us unstable in our relationships. It pushes us to make assumptions about who we are and how others see us, tinting the lens through which we view the world. This lens breeds anger. Sometimes it turns inward. Sometimes it moves outward onto the world around us.
This is where help becomes essential. We need someone who can help us navigate our inner world with a clearer lens and guide us back to our true sense of self.
When you focus on understanding and listening to yourself, change happens naturally. You begin to hear the thoughts you never allowed yourself to feel. You slowly find language for the fears that once felt too overwhelming to touch.
This is how I went from growing up in an abusive household, constantly on edge, and hating myself, to finding a genuine love for who I am and what I offer. I learned to ease the pressure I placed on myself and quiet the intensely assertive inner critic that once ran my life. Through parts work, I earned the trust of the parts of me that never had it and allowed more of my true self to come forward.
Instead of being knocked down by every difficulty, I learned how to sit with tolerable discomfort.
This is the point where healing truly takes off. And this is a place you can reach too.
In my next blog, I will talk about how CBT, parts work, somatic therapy, and EMDR helped me find that space. Keep your head up, and I look forward to seeing you next time.
Mel
