Meet Jena

My trauma began, like so many others, at the hands of someone who was supposed to love and care for me. The wounds of childhood trauma run deep for many of us. We often ignore the trauma ever happened. We burry it down, like some disgusting shameful wound. Unbeknownst to us, those wounds fester the longer we keep our trauma buried. The festered wounds of unhealed trauma manifest itself in all aspects of our lives. Leaving sometimes devastating consequences. From unhealthy coping habits to a plethora of psychiatric disorders, unhealed trauma is the ammo we need for all self-sabotaging behaviors and reoccurring poor decisions. 
 

My response to trauma began to emerge young. Unable to process what had been done to me, and so many years of silence, the trauma festering inside me. I acted out in many ways, from self harm to lashing out at others. It's funny, only in the ironic way, how trauma changes us. How the brain is changed because of childhood trauma or repeated trauma. The hippocampus shrinks, and reasoning in the prefrontal cortex is decreased.

I bet you've been told at some point, "the universe will continue sending you the same lesson, until you've learned the lesson". There's a lot of merit to that because of the way trauma dramatically affects the brain.  After years of finding myself in the same toxic relationships and participating in the continual dance of self sabotaging behaviors, I embarked on a journey of self discovery.
 

It was time for me to peek into the dark recess of my psyche. It was there, where I confronted the aspects of my shadow self and began to shed light on the darkest aspects of myself.  I discovered a tangled web of trauma woven into the fabric of my being, its knobby fingers reaching out and touching every aspect of my life. This web had been silently entwined within me for far too long.
 

A diagnosis of PTSD, GAD, and MDD abruptly confronted me, leading me to request medical leave from my company and embark on a journey of mental health. Beyond therapy sessions, my entire focus became centered on understanding the intricacies of the brain and all its facets. I devoured entire courses on psychology and neuropsychology within weeks. When I wasn't watching online lectures, I was listening to them. My therapist referred to it as a trauma response. But I saw it as being informed.

When life presented me with challenges and wounds, I realized I held the power to choose my response. I could allow those experiences to define and consume me, or I could seize control of my own healing process. Fueled by an insatiable curiosity and an unwavering determination for self-improvement, I embarked on a transformative path. I actively began seeking knowledge and acquiring certifications so I could be a catalyst for change, not only for myself but also for others.