After a few glasses of wine and some talk about the universe with my friend Maddy, I would always end up leading the conversation to trauma, writing about trauma, and how integral these experiences often are for an individual. Being raised by a marriage and family therapist, having significant trauma myself, and working with children who have experienced more in their four-year-old lives than many of us ever will, I continue to develop a passion for both working with trauma and learning about these moments in people’s lives.
After months of shuffling around the idea, I created a website called Finding Light (Website No Longer Available) in which I interview those under their first name or anonymously and write their stories. I tell everyone: it doesn’t matter if it’s a broken nail or a car accident, if it ruins your day, it ruins your day. By this I mean, please, don’t think what you are about to tell me is small in comparison to another story. This has influenced you and therefore it is valid, recognized, and important. Everyone’s trauma deserves to be heard.
We start from the beginning and I write until they are done. Sometimes it’s a few paragraphs or multiple pages, but no matter the length, they take a deep breath and utter some confirmation of how good it felt to be listened to, to have talked about it and have it out in the open.
At the end of the conversation, I ask each interviewee to tell me at least ten little things they are thankful for because focusing on such helped me get through some truly challenging times and I hope it will do the same for them. I started with my own story and now have over twenty published onto the site.
These stories may be triggering to read. Monitor yourself and know you are so loved. If you are interested in being interviewed, please contact me at findinglightinterview@gmail.com.