Who I Am!

Season Three is upon us. I can't believe it. So here is a taste of why this show exists and will continue to exist as long as I have breath in my body. In our lives functional changes alter activity of certain brain regions. These include overproduction of stress hormones in childhood that can wear down the immune system and lead to depletion by adulthood of hormones necessary tolerate and recover from stressful situations encountered in daily life. What followed my dysfunctional childhood were two marriages to abusive toxic men and self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. I experienced domestic violence from 1968 to 1986. The victims of domestic violence can develop PTSD, General Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorders. Long-term domestic violence by a partner reduces self-esteem, creates fear and self-loathing. Often those with complex trauma histories walk through the world feeling shameful, broken, irreparably damaged, holding a deep sense of unworthiness and incompetence. I know now that what I experienced was 'cosmic amnesia", a false sense of self. Recovering from my trauma as taken many years of intensive counseling and inpatient programs. I can report that the woman I am today is vastly different from the woman I was in young adulthood. Depression and anxiety still rear their ugly heads, but I have regained my self-esteem and self-confidence.