Julie Jewels Smoot

Trauma does not end when the event is over. It can continue through memories, flashbacks, self-doubt, shame, fear, hypervigilance, grief, and the long process of rebuilding trust. For many survivors, the deepest wounds are not only what happened, but the silence that follows. The disbelief. The victim blaming. The isolation. The pressure to move on before healing has had the chance to begin.