Healing journeys are a roller coaster of ups, downs, and everything in between! In this episode, I'll be chatting about the nonlinear path of healing, embracing the understanding that everything in life is temporary, and sharing personal insights and experiences that highlight this phenomenon. Towards the end, I'll provide journal prompts that have helped me find balance and rediscover myself during challenging times. So take a listen to explore the nonlinear path of healing, find peace ...

Trauma can significantly impact a survivor's brain and memory making it difficult to recall details of traumatic experiences, the sequence in which they played out, and sometimes the entirety of the experience. However, there are proven ways to retrieve repressed memories, work through them, and ultimately heal your brain to live a more peaceful reality. In this episode, I chat about how the brain responds to trauma, how explicit and implicit memories are impacted, and most importantly 4 he...

Change is inevitable, but the excess stress and anxiety associated with it don't have to be. In this episode, I chat about practical tips to help you minimize stress and anxiety, allowing you to approach change with a more calm and centered mindset using mindfulness, self-care, and creating adaptable routines and plans. Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope....

Sexual assault or abuse can impact survivors' relationship with their bodies through disassociation, negative body image, hypervigilance, and/or difficulties with sexual intimacy. In this episode, I share practical tips, strategies, and coping mechanisms that I've been using and may help other survivors to reclaim a sense of safety in their bodies after experiencing sexual trauma. SAPREA: https://youniquefoundation.org/resources-for-child-sexual-abuse-survivors/ Healing requires energy, vul...

In this episode, I answer questions ranging from overcoming feeling like "damaged goods" to if I've thought about what my life would be like if I never endured child sexual abuse. I also cover a lot on how I've managed to cope from my trauma. Hopefully, some of my insights will help you! Healing Resources! https://youniquefoundation.org/resources-for-child-sexual-abuse-survivors/ Survivor Stories https://www.rainn.org/stories Male Survivors' Stories https://1in6.org/male-survivor-storie...

Ending child sexual abuse is truly an adult issue. Children cannot be expected to fend off sexual predators. Which means we as adults must do our job to protect our children. The more this topic is discussed, the more people are aware, the more children can grow up in safe environments free of sexual abuse. Find your local child advocacy center https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/nca-members/?postal_code=&miles=50&search= Darkness to Light https://www.d2l.org/education/5-steps...

Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is far more common than society thinks. Knowing the signs of abuse is critically important to save a child from enduring abuse or to stop abuse that a child is already experiencing. Please share this episode with anyone you know who has children of their own or is frequently around children <3 The following sources were used in creating this episode. https://www.rainn.org/articles/warning-signs-young-children https://childusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/0...

It's April, meaning it's Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. This episode covers 10 common misconceptions or myths of sexual assault or abuse that everyone needs to know about so, as a society, we can correct misinformed comments, shift these misconceptions to the truth, prevent further abuse, and best support survivors. Sources used to create this episode: https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf https://www.rainn.org/articles/w...

By striving towards improving your sense of self, your trust in others, and your perspective of what a healthy attachment truly entails, you will slowly shift to a secure attachment style. It will require trial and error, time, energy, and repetition, but you are SO worth investing in yourself. Source: https://simplypsychology.org/attachment.html Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healin...

Discovering and exploring your attachment style can be incredibly helpful in understanding yourself better, your view on others, and how you navigate close relationships in your life. In this episode, you will learn about the attachment theory and the four different attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganzed/anxious-avoidant). I also share my personal experience on how I developed an anxious attachment style and how it's impacted me and my relationships with others. ...

Perfectionism is holding you back! Listen to this episode to debunk perfectionism and learn how to fall in love with your imperfections instead of being ashamed of them. By internalizing these 4 insights, you will be able to let go of perfectionist tendencies and live a more peaceful life without the burden of attempting to reach the impossible. Perfectionism quiz! https://www.idrlabs.com/multidimensional-perfectionism/test.php NBC Article featuring me! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/r...

Those who choose inaction or deliberate poor action after witnessing or being informed of sexual abuse detrimentally impact survivors. In this episode, you will learn the reasons why individuals choose complicity, the effects that has on survivors, and what an individual should do if informed of sexual harm. I also vulnerably chat about my experience with enablers, details on how I've been impacted, and realizations helping me heal from the pain they've caused me. This episode was inspi...

If I knew these 3 insights before starting my journey to heal as a survivor of child sexual abuse, it would've broken down common unrealistic expectations and empowered me to lean into the healing process much quicker. I've discovered these life changing realizations from over 7 years of trial and error, and now I want to share them with you to make your healing journey come with greater ease. Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear...

Disclosing sexual abuse is a complex process with several barriers that can discourage survivors from telling someone about the trauma they’ve endured. Receiving a compassionate response to disclosure is critical for a survivor's healing journey. In this episode, you will learn about those barriers, the process of disclosing, and how to appropriately and compassionately respond to a survivor disclosing to you. I used the following sources in this episode. If you’re interested in ...

Self-compassion is a superpower that builds emotional resiliency and psychological well-being. It's not easy to embody; it requires time and commitment to break down shameful, negative thought patterns and create new, compassionate neural pathways in your brain. In this episode, you will learn realistic practices to rewire your brain with self-compassion and understand the demanding, yet incredibly rewarding process it requires. Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard wo...

Sexual trauma survivors can experience many long-term impacts, one of those being anxiety, which is commonly accompanied by panic attacks and triggers. Listen to learn what anxiety, panic attacks, and triggers really are, how a fellow survivor has navigated this long-term impact, and detailed coping mechanisms to reduce anxiety in your healing journey! Find additional information on anxiety, panic attacks, triggers, coping mechanisms, healing and more here!! https://saprea.org/ Healing ...

Today's Trauma Chat is about my personal child sexual abuse (CSA) story. My taekwondo coach molested me when I was 9-13 years old. In this episode, I share the backstory of before my abuse, how it began, what the actual abuse consisted of, and how it eventually came to an end. I hope from sharing my story, fellow survivors can feel less alone, have someone to relate to, or even find their own voice in their healing journey. I hope allies can learn from my story to better understand oth...

Welcome to the Trauma Chats podcast with me, MacKenzie Mae! I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse striving to create a safe space and community for other survivors and allies of survivors to be inspired, empowered, and educated on sexual trauma and its impacts. If you’re on your own healing journey or alongside someone on theirs, subscribe to this podcast and join me as I chat about the trauma I endured and the lessons I’ve learned to help us all on our collective healing journey! H...