In 2019, I experienced a traumatic event at my workplace, a place I also called home.  During that traumatic time, I was so shaken that I had no choice but to take a hiatus. A hiatus from teaching and a hiatus from music. And for those who know me, you know that even the thought of taking a break from what I enjoy doing most is an especially difficult thing for me to do. During my time off, I accepted the support of my family and I swallowed my (mostly) cultural pride by making a commitment to therapy.  I have reached a point where I am now healthy and clear enough to make the decision to return to my workspace.  I made this decision because I realigned with my purpose following the incident, but only after dedicating time with distance during my healing process.  Although you’ll have to be in attendance at one of my talks to understand the details of how I went from traumatized to feeling at peace with the situation, I can share some key areas that greatly contributed to my healing process journey:

  1. I remained dedicated to therapy-I knew that I had to work with a therapist who could relate to my situation and culture.  I also accepted that I was in crisis mode and couldn’t heal without being open to receiving tools and strategies outside of my own realm of comfort.
  2. I sought ways to re-empower myself so as not to become bitter-I also recognized that I felt unlike my usual positive self.  At that point, I knew that I had to drastically change my environment.
  3. I realized that I had to do the healing work on my own before I could depend on other individuals for assistance in this process.
  4. I reached a point where I could actually share the experience in complete control of my emotions.
  5. I found my voice-I have a new voice! I recognize this because I have a deeper yearning to share it. I look forward to sharing it with all of you in 2020! Happy New Year!

Have you healed from a traumatic experience? How and when were you able to identify that you were in fact on a healing journey?.