My most popular writings are about surviving an abusive childhood. I’ve gathered readers from people who are curious, intrigued, or can’t look away from the details. As I’ve gotten better, though, I’ve been told that people prefer to celebrate victories. This is counterintuitive to my experience. Would you rather read about...
All my life, the people around me have said to me, “You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.” For most of my life, I would respond angrily, “Well, who else is going to?” I was angry because I perceived the world as being full of complacent people. They didn’t care about...
There’s a lot to be said about being environmentally conscientious. For a long time, I believed that it’s pointless to try on an individual level. After all, the main people to blame for environmental destruction are the ultra-wealthy and the corporations. My perspective has shifted over the years because I’ve been listening...
When I was growing up, my family didn’t always celebrate Halloween. We went trick-or-treating when I was very young, but later my parents became convinced that it was unholy. Witches, demons, and ghosts all went against god’s way. Instead, we celebrated All Saint’s Day on November 1st. We’d dress up as...
I feel like I have written myself into a corner. I was fueled with rage when I first committed to writing about my experiences, and now I’m stuck with having to write down the details of my traumatic past. It’s triggering to work on my memoir. I’m trying to work on trauma...
Last year’s Disney film Encanto was a powerful and endearing musical. It did a fantastic job of addressing how intergenerational trauma can lead to dysfunctional family roles. Of course, the song that most resonated with me was the one sang by the oldest sister, Luisa, “Surface Pressure.” Like her, I was seen as the...
