I'm a broken person who's been broken by people. This is my story.

 

Seven years ago, I found myself on a plane headed to the rocky mountains in an attempt to escape the world. My entire life had fallen apart after a series of life-threatening traumatic events surrounding sexual abuse and I didn't know how to exist anymore. I felt numb and lifeless to the world around me, so I ran away. At the time, I didn't realize that what I was running away from were years of pain and abuse that I had refused to acknowledge. So, I went on a quest to find peace in nature, to try and put the pieces of my life back together.

 

One night, while hiking up a mountain in the dead of winter I had an epiphany moment, a life-changing realization while overlooking a frozen waterfall beneath the moon. There I was - in the most beautiful, calm place on earth and still, I couldn't feel at peace. It was then that I realized peace isn't a place, it's a feeling within. No matter how far I ran, or how many mountains I climbed, I needed to face my inner pain in order to find the peace I was after - the freedom I had been chasing. So, this is where my healing journey began. 

 

I realized during this time that the only emotional outlet I had ever had, was writing. I'm a Writer and have been since I was 7. It has been a lifeline for me growing up and I don't think I would be here without it. It took most of my life for me to realize that what I needed to truly heal was to open myself up to getting help, because I wasn’t capable of healing on my own.

 

This act of surrendering my soul to another person to help "fix me" was terrifying at first because my entire life had been spent keeping people out and smiling through my pain. So, giving myself permission to become vulnerable was a massive first step in my healing journey. Another life-changing experience was acknowledging the fact that asking for help is never a sign of weakness. In fact, I now believe it to be a sign of great strength and self-love.

 

I have grown so much in the past decade and I have learned to love myself, set boundaries for myself, celebrate myself, and progress my life and career in ways I never have before. My healing journey has taught me that I'm a "Rescuer" - I have this need to help people, I think it's my purpose in life. So, I decided to become a Trauma Healing Coach in order to help people learn how to heal and how to love themselves inside and out. I am also a Crisis Line Counsellor at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape.

 

Whether you're looking to learn how to love your body, boost your self-esteem, overcome heartache or face the darkness of your past or present, I can help you on your journey towards healing. 

 

Sending love & light from across the universe. 

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Your friend, 

Gawn Birdie