We all have a miraculous internal guidance system, although many of us have been taught NOT to trust it.

Abused adult children do not always realize how reactive their thinking is or how impulsive their actions can be. For this reason, making sure we ‘think’ before we speak and or ‘do’, is critical.

The amygdala is all about REACTIVITY, anger, survival, fear, abandonment, rejection and shame. Without even thinking, abused adult children can be emotionally triggered and say and do things they would not have done had they known how to or desired to RELAX, MEDITATE, and CONNECT with their HIGHER SELF before reacting to something in their environment.

Think of how many times you have said ‘yes’ when you have meant ‘no’ or how many times you have lashed out, when in hindsight, you had wished you had spoken with LOVE instead of fear, anger, resentment, or shame.

The GREAT NEWS is, we can learn to STOP, LISTEN, THINK, PAUSE, REGROUP, and SOOTHE...

If your needs were not met as a child, and if how you felt went ignored, you have been taught and conditioned to ignore your own needs.

This is not an attack on parents.

This is simply a wake-up call to look within, listen to your inner self, and understand why you do what you do and why you don't do what you should do.

I am not 'playing the victim' when I admit that as a child I was brainwashed to believe my emotions were irrelevant and that the more I tried to pretend I did not have feelings, the crazier, lonelier and more terrified I felt.

Far too often people who do not understand that in order to heal an emotion you must feel an emotion, judge those who are struggling to validate why they feel the way they do.

I have heard people tell others 'to suck it up -- get over the past -- stop whining -- it is time to put your adult panties back on' and so on.

The older I get the more humble I become, and the more I appreciate the saying, "Youth is wasted on the young."

The decades I spent chasing, begging, reacting, and pleading to be heard, understood, respected, held, nurtured, and loved are all gone.

The only thing ANY of us have that is worth worrying about is our TIME.

Many adult survivors of traumatic abuse and experiences suffer from memory loss. Although many trauma survivors are able to remember how they felt when they were children, they do not always remember why they felt or feel the way they do today. They may feel like they were abused, but they might not remember precisely why they feel that way.

It is my belief that the more we understand our brains and how they work, the quicker we are able to heal. Not knowing 'the why' drives most human beings crazy. This is because the brain likes resolution and it seems our minds are willing to drive themselves crazy looking for answers. At times our brains will even make up stories to fit what is happening in our lives just to help us 'feel' more in control of what is happening in the now. This is why children assume they are at fault when mommy and daddy abuse them. When the child assumes responsibility for the abuse, the traumatic events make sense to the child's innocent mind. "Mommy beat me...