Hidden Wounds: A Woman’s Journey to Understanding and Healing
Jodi sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the floor. Another sleepless night. Another morning filled with a hollow ache she couldn’t explain.
At 39, Jodi had built a life that, from the outside, seemed successful—an established career, a home filled with reminders of years well spent, and friendships cultivated over time. Yet, an unseen weight pressed upon her soul, leaving her feeling disconnected from her own existence.
She had spent years wondering why...
Why did relationships feel like burdens?
Why did she wake up some mornings paralyzed with anxiety?
Why did she feel an unshakable loneliness even in a crowded room?
For decades, Jodi attributed these feelings to the natural hardships of life—stress, work, the demands of adulthood. She convinced herself that she simply needed to push forward, to keep moving, to suppress whatever whispers of doubt echoed in her mind. But the more she ignored them, the louder they became.
It wasn’t until she began therapy, almost on a whim, that fragments of memories began surfacing. Small glimpses of something long buried. A hand where it shouldn’t have been. A darkened room. A childhood filled with gaps she had never questioned.
At first, she dismissed them. Surely, her mind was playing tricks on her. She had always believed she had a normal childhood. Her parents were hardworking, her home stable. But as the weeks passed, her body began to react in ways she didn’t understand—panic attacks, nausea at unexpected times, an unexplainable aversion to certain sounds and smells.
With the support of her therapist, Jodi started piecing together what her mind had so mercifully concealed: she had been sexually abused as a child.
The realization was like a tidal wave, crashing through the barriers she had unknowingly erected. The emotional distance she had always felt, the struggle to trust, the unrelenting anxiety—it all made sense now.
For years, Jodi had carried wounds she couldn’t see, scars left by a past she didn’t consciously remember. The amnesia had been her mind’s way of protecting her, but it had also kept her from truly healing.
The journey forward wasn’t easy.
Some days, she wanted to run back to the numbness, to pretend she had never uncovered the truth. But she also recognized that in understanding her past, she had the chance to reclaim her future.
Through therapy, journaling, and her work in the "Finding Light in the Darkness Course", Jodi began to heal. Working alongside Joanne and joining the private Facebook group and Zoom meetings helped Jodi to not only see that she was not alone, but that there was a bright path forward. She learned to acknowledge the little girl she had once been, to comfort her, to tell her she was safe now. And with each step, the weight on her chest lightened.
Jodi's story is one of resilience.
Like so many others, she had spent years battling demons she didn’t even know existed. But in facing them, she found something she never thought possible—peace.
Am I Ready to Begin Healing?
Our 7 gentle, reflective questions are meant to help you pause, listen to your heart, and begin to discern where you are on your journey—and where God may be inviting you next. Click here to take the quiz
For anyone walking a similar path, know this: the past may shape you, but it does not define you. Healing is possible, even from wounds long buried. Joanne
