Nay Darling

“Drugs and alcohol are not my problem,” he wrote. “Reality is my problem, drugs and alcohol are my solution.”
― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

“Trauma leaves your shipwrecked. You are left to rebuild your inner world. Part of the rebuilding, the healing process, is revisiting the shattered hull of your old worldview; you sift through the wreckage looking for what remains, seeking your broken pieces…as you revisit the ship-wreck, piece by piece, you find a fragment and move it to your new, safer place in the now-altered landscape. You build a new worldview. That takes time. And many visits to the wreckage. And this process involves both unconscious and conscious repetitive “reenactment” behaviors, or writing, drawing, sculpting, or playing. Again and again, you revisit the site of the earthquake, look through the wreckage, take something, and move it to a safe haven. That’s part of the healing process.”
― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

“Many of us found it harder to “fill up” during the COVID-19 pandemic; people reported more anxiety and depression, and many people used some of the less healthy forms of reward to fill that void.”
― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

“The pillars of traditional healing were 1) connection to clan and the natural world; 2) regulating rhythm through dance, drumming, and song; 3) a set of beliefs, values, and stories that brought meaning to even senseless, random trauma; and 4) on occasion, natural hallucinogens or other plant-derived substances used to facilitate healing with the guidance of a healer or elder. It is not surprising that today’s best practices in trauma treatment are basically versions of these four things”
― Oprah Winfrey, What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing