Trauma can make you feel like you’re alone in the world.

You’re not alone.  

“I led a blessed life. From humble beginnings, I’d achieved a lot. I had a great job as a lawyer for the government and received recognition for my hard work. I loved my job, and I loved helping people. I’d lived and studied abroad, I spoke several languages and felt at home mostly anywhere. I gave 110% all of the time. I had given marriage a try, but it didn’t work out - just like lots of people. My life seemed pretty normal and I was content.

But as the years passed, cracks started to appear.

Worry, anxiety and hypervigilance became my constant companions. Sleeping through the night was getting harder and harder. I’d started turning down social invitations, and spending more and more time alone. It was like I was folding in on myself. I was starting to think that the stuff in my childhood that people told me to “just get over” was starting to ruin my life. And this vague sense of shame colored everything. I never felt good enough anymore.

I finally hit a point where I needed answers, and I needed help to find those answers. And in time I was able to start freeing myself from the bondage of my childhood trauma. There is hope. And there is help. Compassion for others led me to look for a way to help them do more than just survive trauma. I became a certified trauma recovery coach to help other trauma survivors just like me.”

Stephanie Shipp, B.A, J.D