💜😭 Hi Mitch, hyper-vigilance is the key word here.

A coping tool for our taxed nervous system. Remaining vigilant was the only way to survive:(

This was a hard write, for sure. Shadow work asks for a lot of self-compassion.

I keep a photo of my 7-year old self by my desk. This is how we remind ourselves daily of who were were before significant others told us otherwise.

Reading you words gave me shivers. I saw firsthand how some kids went through hell and thought, this is so wrong. But you could not dare speak a word or the punishment landed on you.

It's disgusting actually — so heartbreaking.

Thank you for sharing so vulnerably. ❤️