Growing up with a mother who was at times violently abusive, I experienced firsthand the impacts of repetitive trauma. My father was told I would have emotional problems for the rest of my life, making recovery seem hopeless. As an adolescent, I turned to substances, struggled with self-loathing, and felt irreparably damaged. Sober in my teens, it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I realized how much the impacts of the trauma were wreaking havoc on my life; resulting in toxic relationships, constant triggers, feelings of inadequacy, and shame. I felt broken and believed I was beyond help because the therapies I tried only improved my insight, not my experience.