Tag: cptsd
-
The Book Report That Saved Me: How Drew Barrymore’s Little Girl Lost Helped Me Survive the Troubled Teen Industry
When I was trapped inside the walls of Cross Creek Manor, a so-called “therapeutic” program for “troubled teens,” my world had shrunk to a series of rigid rules, forced confessions, and a constant battle to prove I was worthy of basic human dignity. There was no escape—not physically, and certainly not mentally. Every day felt…
-
Healing Out Loud: Why Telling Our Stories Matters
“Healing out loud because I almost died in silence.” Breaking the Silence: The Power of Sharing Our Stories For years, I believed my story was something to be hidden—too heavy, too messy, too much for the world to handle. I convinced myself that silence was safer. That if I didn’t speak about my experiences, they…
-
Post-Incarceration Syndrome and the Forgotten Survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry
The troubled teen industry (TTI) is a billion-dollar network of behavior modification programs, including wilderness therapy camps, therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, and residential treatment centers. Marketed to desperate parents as a last resort for their struggling children, these programs promise transformation and healing. But as a survivor of the TTI myself, I can tell…
-
Daring to Dream Again: Finding Hope After Trauma
For a long time, I didn’t let myself dream. Survival was the only goal. Dreaming still feels dangerous—like setting myself up for disappointment or failure. When you’ve spent years just trying to make it through the day, the idea of planning for a future, of imagining a life beyond the next crisis, feels foreign. Maybe…
-
Why Rest Is Revolutionary for Trauma Survivors
“Pay mind to your own life, your own health, and wholeness. A bleeding heart is of no help to anyone if it bleeds to death.” Frederick Buechner About a week before publishing my memoir, my body reminded me who was really in charge. A health flare-up hit me like a tidal wave, leaving me alone…
-
Healing, but Still Hijacked: The Nervous System’s Betrayal
Healing is a nonlinear process, marked by ongoing battles with trauma and a body conditioned by past stress responses. Despite stabilizing adrenal function, my nervous system struggles with interpreting joy as danger. I’m learning to manage this response through pacing, grounding techniques, and reframing my experience, embracing healing’s complexities.
Jessica Woodville | Memoir & Musings 