A Journey Back to Self

Growing up in a small, rural community, I never felt like I fit in. I quickly learned that becoming who others wanted me to be provided some semblance of belonging. That meant thinking, acting, and believing like those around me. It meant anticipating the needs of others, rather than paying attention to my own. It required ignoring my intuition and accepting the answers I was given. And it took controlling my body to take up as little space as possible – physically, emotionally, relationally – so as to be more accommodating to others. I carried with me a deep sense of shame, and disconnection from my divine self, which left me sick, lost, and disembodied.

It took leaving my home community and coming face-to-face with my fragmentation to understand life didn't have to be this way. I entered intensive therapy, which at the time was entirely unfamiliar, scary, and difficult. And therapy saved my life. It provided a safe space to explore my identity and purpose, and to deconstruct the layers of trauma and pain I had experienced in my early life. I learned that I wasn't a problem, and that I can trust myself and my inner knowing.