A Book Cover Reveal and a High Five From the Universe.

We are kicking off the month long countdown to the release of the Trigger Points Anthology today with a cover reveal!! Isn’t it beautiful!

I was trying to visually represent how motherhood had taken my whole self apart, re-arranged all the pieces and put them back together in a completely new and un-recognizable pattern. ~Joyelle Brandt

You can read what else Joyelle has to say about her process of creating the image, and what the anthology means to her here.

With one month to go before the book release, I’m sitting here with a slight case of perma-grin, and tears filling my eyes. The irony of being able to make November 18th the release date has me feeling a bit raw, but proud. November 18th, 1995 is the day I got on a plane and the abuse was finally over for me. I was 15 years old and had endured sexual abuse for the past eight years of my life. I came to a place two years ago when I started to see how that day was a birthday of sorts for me. Happy Re-Birthday to Me: A Sexual Abuse Survivor’s Coming Out Story is an essay I wrote two years ago about learning to let go of the shame, and moving on. It was also the first time I ever publically (and by publically I mean speaking outside of like three people) spoke/wrote about the abuse.

So to now have the anthology be released on that day 20 years later…I’m convinced it’s the universe high fiving me.

For me, this is more than a brilliant collection of words. It’s a seed. It’s a very personal introduction to a parenting topic that needs compassionate attention; a resource for a parent to grab a hold of when he or she is triggered in the throws of parenthood, and feel less alone. The anthology is a collective example of what it looks like when a child who is abused grows up, becomes a parent her/himself and learns how to tune in to triggers in order to heal and break the cycle of abuse.

If you want to learn more about the anthology and the awareness Joyelle, the writer’s and I are trying to raise on the topic of parenting as a survivor, you can visit our website at TriggerPointsAnthology.com.

We also have a supportive Facebook community that has quickly taught us how not alone we really are. Like our page and/or follow our blog to keep up to date on the release of anthology, and take part in this journey right along with us.

If you are interested in providing an honest review of the book or have questions or comments for the editors, please email us at triggerpointsanthology@gmail.com

~Dawn

 

 

We have a release date!

This is really happening, and I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I am feeling.

Trigger Points: Childhood Abuse Survivors Experiences of Parenting

Dawn and I are so excited to announce that we have a tentative release date set for November 18, 2015.

We are madly at work editing submissions right now, and will be moving on to layout in a few weeks. It’s crunch time!

So this will be a brief post and now it’s time to get back to it.

See you all soon with a finished anthology!

Joyelle and Dawn

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A Mother Comes Undone.

“Motherhood pushed open a door that I thought I had managed to close for the last time. I, like most I believe, thought that a baby would be placed in my arms and I would be filled with so much love that the pieces of my broken heart, pieces I worked so hard to glue back together, would finally solidify. I didn’t expect new cracks to form.”

This is an excerpt from a new post I have up today on the Trigger Points website. I hope you decide to head over and subscribe to follow along. Click here to read the full article.

Working To Fill A Void.

As I sat down to write today, I could think of nothing other than how excited I am about the submissions for the Trigger Points anthology now starting to trickle in. This is really happening!

Since Joyelle and I began this project, I have continued to research on this topic. I can with confidence say, there is nothing like this out there. I know this will be a resource that could possibly change lives. That’s what happens when you learn you are not alone in experiencing something to this magnitude. It changes you. I know this because that is exactly what happened to me, when I received the outpouring of support from the initial article I wrote on the topic, and from the several I have written since then.

Joyelle and I are determined to put this book, this lifeline, at arms length for anyone who may benefit from it. I know that isn’t just parenting survivors but also those that love them. Throughout my years working in the field of mental health, I have made strong connections with therapists, educators, community resources, etc. It is my goal to make each and everyone of them aware of this anthology, so that they have something to offer a mother or father who needs this type of support. I will make sure that the heart and soul that is being poured in to this project is worth it.

The deadline for submissions is fast approaching. One of my personal concerns is that we have yet to receive any submissions from fathers. More than anything I want this project to portray perspectives from mothers and fathers. I’m working hard to reach out to both, but we could most definitely use some help.

Please continue to help us spread the word. If you haven’t already, like and share our Facebook page. Follow our WordPress site. Reach out to those you believe can help us make this dream a reality.

Thank you to all that have supported us thus far. I’m not sure that I have the right words to encompass how grateful I am. If you are considering submitting an essay but are struggling, reach out to us on the Facebook page with a post or private message. Also, I’m including links to the essays I have written in hopes that one may spark ideas for your own submission.

Much love ~Dawn

Raising a Girl as a Survivor

Parenting-An Unexpected Trigger

On Being a Mother and a Survivor of Abuse

Parenting Survivors of Childhood Abuse Need a Voice co-authored with Joyelle Brandt

 

 

What It’s Like Being A Mother and A Survivor of Abuse

I’m guest posting on Kristi Campbell’s Our Land Series today. I have followed Kristi, at Finding Ninee, since I started blogging. Her Our Land Series is something that I immediately connected with, and am so proud to be among the other brave, insightful writers she has hosted.

“That panicked physical reaction I speak of, steams from the fear instilled in me as a little girl, when my abuser walked in to my room at night. The abuse distorted connections in my brain that appropriately associate things correctly, like love and fear.”

Please head on over to read more:

What It’s Like Being a Mother And A Survivor Of Abuse