Category: Adverse Childhood Experiences
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Bruises You Can’t See: Bullying, ACEs, and the Long Shadow into Adulthood
Bullying leaves more than hurt feelings—it can cause lifelong emotional and physical harm. In this personal and research-backed post, I share my story, explore the link between bullying and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and call for change in how we address peer abuse.
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When You Feel Like Too Much (And Still Not Enough)
Childhood trauma often leads individuals to feel “too much” or “not enough,” driving them to please others while neglecting their own needs. This survival mechanism creates disconnection and loss of self. Healing involves accepting one’s true self, recognizing the impact of past trauma, and fostering genuine relationships without the need for performance.
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What Nearly Killed Me Wasn’t the Illness—It Was the System
The author reflects on their five-year struggle with chronic illness and inadequate medical care. Despite multiple specialists and difficult experiences, they emphasize the ongoing battle against the medical system, marked by negligence and lack of accountability. They seek compassionate, trauma-informed care and highlight the necessity for medical integrity and respect for patients’ suffering.
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I’m Not Failing at Healing: What It Really Takes to Rewire a Trauma-Wired Body
They say healing takes time.But no one talks about what else it takes. It takes energy you don’t have. Support you no longer do. Money that doesn’t exist.It takes silence when you live with chaos, rest when you’re a mother, and trust when your body is still waiting for the next blow. And when talk…
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Finding Healing After Family Turmoil: A Journey to Self-Recovery
It’s a strange thing, being on the “other side” of survival (other side in quotes because honestly, I am still mostly surviving, not quite thriving) Life often gives you a brief moment of quiet, only to hand you the daunting task of healing. Recently, I received a comment from a reader that resonated deeply with…
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We’re Not Broken – The System Is
“Healing isn’t just about surviving the past—it’s about building the future. And I refuse to let my past be the thing that steals my future away.” I am a trauma survivor, a mother, and an advocate. And like so many others carrying the weight of early adversity, I have spent years trying to heal in…
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What I Wish Health Professionals Knew About Trauma
They called it anxiety. They called it depression. But no one asked what happened to me. Here’s what I wish every doctor, therapist, and provider understood about trauma—and what real healing actually takes.
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The Morning Everything Changed
One night, she drifted off — a child spun from stardust and backyard laughter, dreaming of bigger bikes, summer rains, and birthday candles burning too fast. One night, the world was still simple. And then — somewhere between one breath and the next — the earth shifted. She woke up and the world was heavier,…
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This Is What It Cost Me: Five Years, One Body, and a System That Still Won’t Listen
I’ve written about this before—maybe two, three times now. Chronic illness. Storms. Parenting through it. The trauma it leaves behind. But the truth is, every time I write, I hold a piece back. Because reliving it costs energy I barely have. Because writing about being dismissed starts to feel like shouting into a void. But…
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The Things I Carry, Still
There are things I carry that no one can see. Not in the lines on my face or the curve of my spine—though they’ve left their marks there, too. Not in a diagnosis code or a medical chart, though my body has often tried to speak the truth before I had the language for it.…
Jessica Woodville | Memoir & Musings 