Oh wow — I FEEL this. That mix of humor and truth? I know it well.
So many of us learned to stay tame on the outside while feeling totally feral inside — because our nervous systems were just doing whatever they could to keep us safe.
I’m so glad the post resonated with you. You’re definitely not alone in this.
Next week I’ll be sharing 3 new Substack posts to go even deeper:
• What Is Complex PTSD — and Why It’s So Often Missed
• Growing Up with Complex PTSD: What It Felt Like — and How I Made Sense of It Later
• Childhood-Onset vs. Adult-Onset Complex PTSD: Why It Matters for Healing
If this week’s post hit home, I think these will too.❤️
I recently realized that I was living 2 different lives at the same time when I was a child. One person was living an amazingly loving childhood with truly loving parents. The other was experiencing sexual abuse from several different people and hiding the secrets from those amazing parents. My brain was constantly conflicted
What you described—holding both love and trauma at the same time—is something so many survivors carry, often without realizing it. That kind of inner split takes a toll on our nervous systems in ways we don’t always understand until much later.
It wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to survive and protect everyone the best you could.❤️
Good God. You described my response to damn near everything.
I joke/ not joke that I always raise the most docile, tame animals ever, but I myself am 100% feral.
Oh wow — I FEEL this. That mix of humor and truth? I know it well.
So many of us learned to stay tame on the outside while feeling totally feral inside — because our nervous systems were just doing whatever they could to keep us safe.
I’m so glad the post resonated with you. You’re definitely not alone in this.
Next week I’ll be sharing 3 new Substack posts to go even deeper:
• What Is Complex PTSD — and Why It’s So Often Missed
• Growing Up with Complex PTSD: What It Felt Like — and How I Made Sense of It Later
• Childhood-Onset vs. Adult-Onset Complex PTSD: Why It Matters for Healing
If this week’s post hit home, I think these will too.❤️
Thank you for this post very helpful and relatable
I’m so glad it was both helpful and relatable. Understanding what Complex PTSD does to the brain can be such a POWERFUL step in the healing process.
If this resonated, I think you’ll really appreciate this week’s Substack series:
MONDAY: What Is Complex PTSD - and Why It’s So Often Missed
Breaks down how C-PTSD differs from PTSD - and why it’s so often overlooked.
TUESDAY: Childhood-Onset vs. Adult-Onset C-PTSD: Why It Matters for Healing
Explores how early trauma shapes the brain and changes what healing requires.
THURSDAY: Growing Up with Complex PTSD: What It Felt Like - and How I Made Sense of It Later
My personal story and how I started to make sense of what I thought was “just me.”
Thanks for being here❤️Stay close.
I recently realized that I was living 2 different lives at the same time when I was a child. One person was living an amazingly loving childhood with truly loving parents. The other was experiencing sexual abuse from several different people and hiding the secrets from those amazing parents. My brain was constantly conflicted
Wow… thank you for sharing that.💔
What you described—holding both love and trauma at the same time—is something so many survivors carry, often without realizing it. That kind of inner split takes a toll on our nervous systems in ways we don’t always understand until much later.
It wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to survive and protect everyone the best you could.❤️
Thank you for this.