Amber Johnson

“I learned two critical things that day. First: Just because the wound doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean it’s healed. If it looks good and it feels good, it should be all good, right? But over the years I’d smoothed perfect white layers of spackle over gaping structural holes. And the second thing I learned was: My parents didn’t love me.”
― Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma

“Here’s a theory: Maybe I had not really been broken this whole time.”
― Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know

“Here’s a theory: Maybe I had not really been broken this whole time. Maybe I had been a human—flawed and still growing but full of light nonetheless”
― Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma

“The essence of what trauma does to a person is it makes them feel like they don’t deserve love,” the voice in my headphones said. I was on the train, on my way to yet another doctor’s appointment, but this statement rang so true that I dug furiously through my bag and pulled out a notebook to write it down. I was about to put away my pen when I heard another especially good line, so I kept it out, writing furiously on my lap. My friend Jen, who often sends me little poems and links throughout the day, sent me this podcast—Road to Resilience,”
― Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma