on healing
HEALING IS communal
Healing happens in the presence of others, just like the harm that caused it. Healing requires deep, personal inner work, but also requires community and relation. When those around us bear witness to our pain and suffering and respond with care, compassion, and empathy, we experience healing validation. Our community experiences transformative understanding, and this exchange inspires deep, community-wide healing.
HEALING IS not linear
Healing is not a straight line, nor is it a simple story. While healing is possible, it is messy, dynamic, full of starts and stops, resets and new strides.There is no right answer, or wrong way to heal, and there is no handbook. Each survivor carves their own unique path. Each survivor is an expert in their own healing direction and journey.
HEALING has no timeline
Healing has no expectations, no timeline. It also takes more than just time to heal. Each unique journey reflects the many variables that create and impact trauma, from our life experiences, to family and culture, to the practices, values, and available resources that shape this process. Just as there is no handbook, there is no timeline for healing.
HEALING BELONGS TO YOU
Healing is yours, it’s personal and transformative. Each survivor assigns meaning to their own personal experiences, identifies the impact of that trauma, and ultimately owns their truth and journey of healing. A survivor decides how and when to respond to the trauma, what steps to take, and how and when to heal. Survivors are the experts in their own healing, and no one can take away a survivor’s right to heal.
HEALING IS LEARNING
Healing is a process of uncovering, understanding, remembering, and practicing. Healing teaches us, changes us, and often reminds us who we are, providing opportunity for growth, development, and transformation. It is a practice of carving new patterns in our brains and bodies to replace the old ones that no longer serve us, until the life we imagine is the life we lead.