Why did you choose to write Surviving the
Flood?
Because my first session of
(EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing and Brain-spotting caused
flooding - 32 years of repressed memories, emotions and body memories started
to flow through my body too rapidly. It
only took a few days for my memories to start coming back but instead of them
coming one by one they all came at once putting me in to crisis mode and I had
to admit myself into the hospital because it was too overwhelming.
This is very rare that this
happens this way but my body just couldn’t repress it any longer.
As you wrote this book what did you learn
that really touched your heart?
That my power woman is my
three year old ego-state because she had a big heart and even though she was so
severely abused and neglected all her life she never lost her identity and was
able to forgive people. She can still
love people and as an adult I am still an outgoing happy person.
What are you writing now?
I am writing a book that goes into how to stop
repeating destructive patterns that all of us with abuse feel compelled to
repeat even though we know it isn’t good for us. For me it is drinking 6-10 sodas a day and
overeating to stay safe in my mind. If I
am obese then no one will notice me or hurt me.
What do you hope that your readers will take
away from your book?
It is okay to be on
medication to help control their Mental illness and they are strong for getting
help and reliving their traumas so healing can occur.
How
does faith play into your writing?
The only way I could have
survived my childhood, adolescent and adulthood was that God was watching over
me. In my adult years, I thought for a
long time I was being punished by God for living my teenage life the way I
did. Now, I know it was so I can help
others who are suffering like I was to lead them to their healing journey and
to get them to reach out for help without fear of the unknown.
What is your favorite book and why?
The Courage to Heal A Guide
for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis. Because
it was the first book I read on my healing journey and it told me why certain
things were happening to me. I felt
normal for once because I could identify with what they said about sexual
trauma.
What are your hobbies other than writing?
I like to knit and cross
stitch but haven’t done either one for a very long time. My books are going to take up a lot of my
time for years to come.
Why did you write your book?
I wrote the book because I
felt after learning everything I have learned so far that if I had a book like
mine to outline what my traumas were and then showed me the way to heal I would have received help a lot
sooner.
Also to find those who think they are alone
and confirm that they are not alone.
More importantly find the
ones who aren’t getting help because they think they are going crazy like I
thought. I want them to read my book and
see themselves in me and then understand they are not crazy and hopefully they
will reach out for help.
Also for those who have loved ones that want to understand their
loved ones with mental illness such as PTSD, Conversion, or Somatization even
others such as bi-polar, schizophrenia, etc.
I feel that veterans can
learn from my book because my dad didn’t get help right away and this affected
his parenting and was part of the neglect and discipline turned into abuse when
his anger got out of control from his PTSD.
Do you have a blog or website?
Blog: www.silencednolonger.blogspot.com Website: www.silencednolonger.com
