Alex James

“To survive trauma one must be able to tell a story about it.”
― Natasha Trethewey, Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir

“You don't have to preserve your pain in order to prove that it was real.”
― Brittany Burgunder

“What happens when you hit your daughter.

First, she will bond to you out of fear, mistakenly thinking she has done something wrong, and if she can just manage to not do it again or somehow please you, you might not hit her or anyone else anymore. She will even think you will love her properly if she can earn your approval. She won't realize this is impossible. Then she will either do that with every man she comes within 100 feet of for the rest of her life or until she learns not to - this will take much doing - or she will despise them with such vehemence that she can barely stomach one around. Sometimes she will do a combination of both of those things, working herself into a pattern of push and pull - I love you, I hate you, I need you, I don't need anyone - that will drive her a little crazy. She won't understand at first, if ever, why she only attracts other masochists.

Whatever numbing agent she's picked for herself - she will probably try drugs, drink too much alcohol, starve herself or binge and purge, maybe cut herself, act out sexually - in fact, she may do all of those things - that continues to help kill her spirit and dulls her enough to keep her participating in living like a maniac will be consumed to varying degrees depending on need.

She will be more likely to commit suicide than if you hadn't abused her.

She will give herself away and will mistake admiration and infatuation and sometimes even abuse for love.”
― Allison Moorer, Blood: A Memoir

“Belief in self and self-acceptance appeared to have a direct impact on one's resiliency and overall worldview.”
― Asa Don Brown , The Effects of Childhood Trauma on Adult Perception and Worldview