Understanding Trauma: Breaking Free & Healing Loudly

Sis, let’s talk about trauma. Not just the word, but the weight of it. The way it sits in our spirit, shifts our energy, and sometimes makes us feel like we’re stuck in survival mode. Trauma ain’t just “going through something”—it’s the deep, soul-shaking experiences that leave a mark on our mind, body, and spirit. It can come from abuse, neglect, betrayal, violence, loss, or even moments we don’t fully understand until later.

But here’s the truth—you don’t have to stay bound by what hurt you. Healing is a process, a fight, a journey—and I’m walking it with you. Let’s break this down together.

How Trauma Shows Up in Your Life

Trauma has a slick way of showing up, sometimes loud, sometimes real quiet. It doesn’t always look like breaking down crying—it can be:

• Feeling anxious or on edge for no reason
• Shutting down emotionally when things get too real Snapping on folks over small things.
• Feeling like you gotta be strong all the time (because being weak was never an option)
• Distrusting people, even when they mean well
• Feeling stuck, like you ain’t really living, just existing
  

EXERCISE: SELF-CHECK MOMENT ✍🏾
📝 Grab your journal or your notes app—write down the moments when you feel most overwhelmed, anxious, or shut down. What triggered that feeling? What were you thinking? Understanding your patterns is the first step to reclaiming your peace.

Triggers: The Unseen Chains

A trigger is anything that brings back that pain like it just happened yesterday. It could be a song, a smell, a place, a tone of voice—something that takes you right back to the moment when you felt small, unsafe, or unseen.

But listen to me: triggers don’t own you. They’re just road signs, pointing you toward what still needs healing. And the more you recognize them, the more power you take back.

EXERCISE: TAKE BACK YOUR POWER 🛑
📝 Write down 3 things that trigger you. Next to each one, list one way you can take control when it happens (breathing, grounding, walking away, affirmations—whatever feels good to you).

Example:
Trigger: Loud arguments
Response: Remind myself, “I am safe. I am in control. The past is not my present.”

 
Healing Ain’t Pretty, But It’s Powerful

Healing is messy. It’s ugly crying at 2 AM, it’s feeling good one day and broken the next, it’s wanting to give up but choosing yourself anyway. But you know what else? Healing is also freedom.

You don’t have to do it alone either. Therapy, mindfulness, journaling, community—all of it helps. And your healing is YOURS. You set the pace, you write the rules, you decide what you need.

EXERCISE: WHAT DOES HEALING LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? 💡
📝 Close your eyes for a second and imagine your healed self. How does she walk? How does she speak? What does she no longer tolerate? Write a letter to her from your current self. Tell her you’re coming for her.

 
Sis, You Are Not Alone

One of the biggest lies trauma tells us is that we gotta go through it alone. But listen to me: you deserve safe spaces. You deserve people who see you, who hold you up, who remind you that your past doesn’t define you.

If you don’t have that yet, let’s build it. Find your people. Join support groups. Go to therapy. Follow pages that pour into you (and unfollow anything that drains your spirit).

EXERCISE: BUILD YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM 🌱
📝 List 3 people (or spaces) you can turn to when you need to feel safe. If you don’t have them yet, write down one step you’ll take to start finding your tribe.

 
The Journey to Reclaiming YOU

Healing from trauma isn’t about erasing what happened—it’s about choosing to no longer let it control you. You are not what happened to you. You are what you choose to become.

You are worthy of peace.
You are worthy of joy.
You are worthy of love—especially from yourself.

EXERCISE: FINAL REFLECTION 💖
📝 What’s one promise you’re making to yourself on this healing journey? Write it down and say it out loud. This is YOUR moment to take back what’s yours.

✨ Drop a comment or share one of your reflections with me—let’s heal loud together! ✨

Sis, you are not just surviving. You are rising. And I see you. 

With love and fire,
Coach E  ✨💛