03:38
This poem describes what it feels like to disconnect from who you are as a result of a traumatic childhood. It allows you to acknowledge your experience as real and feel the doubts and emotions it generates. I have purposely left out a positive resolution at the end, which some may find uncomfortable. As Jane Hirshfield said, 'There are times when even the thought of a solution insults the actual and irreversible truths of a life.' The sense of confusion surrounding a traumatic experience is one of the hardest aspects to navigate. Articulating the experience in words and listening to another person's description are soothing in and of themselves.