Laura’s Story

A few years ago, I experienced a traumatic injury. What followed was a lengthy, challenging rehabilitation that left me with chronic pain.

For a long time, I stayed in fight mode: focusing on trying to fix myself, doing my physical exercises. All the while, I was emotionally suppressing—downplaying the injury, hiding the pain, trying to seem strong. It was incredibly isolating. I wanted someone who had had the same experience to talk to. Instead, I found Facebook groups of people with much more severe injuries, and I felt guilty for struggling at all. 

The biggest turning point came when a specialist told me I had likely made all the physical recovery I was going to make. The fight drained out of me, and all the emotions I had pushed aside overwhelmed me.

Looking back now, that was actually the beginning of my emotional healing.

I started therapy, discovered pain reprocessing therapy, chronic pain group classes and the Mountain Muskox trauma circle. 

In the trauma circle, we don't focus on the details of what happened but on the emotions that stem from those experiences. While everyone's story is different, all of our feelings and struggles are remarkably similar. I thought I needed to find someone with my exact injury to understand; what I actually needed were the people who understood its emotional weight. 

I've learned that healing isn't something I finish. I can still be triggered, and I think what will help is continuing to talk about it and doing the work, rather than trying to move on or forget. Being vulnerable has never been easy for me, but circles are a place where I can practise vulnerability, allow myself to be seen, and experience the support that comes from not carrying everything alone.