Choosing Life After Abuse and Grief | Natalie

What happens when childhood trauma, abuse, grief and years of masking finally catch up with you?In this episode of The After The Fall Show, I sit down with Natalie for a raw conversation about autism, ADHD, school trauma, self-harm, domestic abuse, grief, healing and the long road back to yourself.Natalie shares how growing up undiagnosed left her anxious, overwhelmed and masking heavily from a young age. She opens up about depression in childhood, self-harm as a release, PTSD, fibromyalgia linked to trauma, and the pain of losing her dad after a rapid battle with cancer.We also talk about the moment everything had to change — reaching a point of complete despair, finding the strength to leave an abusive relationship, and slowly rebuilding through support, self-work, boundaries and learning to trust again.This is an episode about what happens when life strips everything back and asks you to choose yourself.If you have ever lived through abuse, loss, trauma, masking, burnout or the feeling that you have lost who you are, this conversation will speak to you.In this episode we explore:• late diagnosis of autism and ADHD• school trauma and masking• depression and self-harm• PTSD, trauma and chronic pain• losing a parent and deep grief• domestic abuse and leaving• suicidal crisis and reaching out• healing, support and rebuilding trust• letting go of the old version of yourselfChapters:00:00 Introduction00:31 Natalie before the fall02:22 What was happening behind the mask03:40 Masking, self-harm and hidden pain04:28 PTSD, trauma and fibromyalgia06:35 Losing her dad07:47 Numbness, grief and shock09:30 The breaking point10:33 Leaving abuse and choosing life12:41 What rebuilding actually looked like14:46 Reaching out and accepting support16:55 What people get wrong about change17:28 Letting go of the old version of yourself18:15 Healing, trust and building a new support network21:09 There is no time limit on healing22:28 Natalie’s message to anyone struggling25:44 The whirlpool metaphor for healing26:31 Closing reflections on abuse, power and survivalFollow The After The Fall Show for more raw conversations about collapse, trauma, recovery, identity and rebuilding after the fall. Also check out our main site www.StreetTherapy.co.uk