by Wendy Hoke | Jul 15, 2026 | Building Resilience in Healing, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Healing from Toxic Shame, Mental Health Advocacy
Frequently, a sexual abuse victim comes forward after many years of silence–sometimes much later in life. Doing so means facing skepticism. Why did you wait? How can you be credible now? Aren’t those false memories? That victim frequently faces dismissal...
by Wendy Hoke | Jul 13, 2026 | Building Resilience in Healing, CPTSD, Creativity, Emotional Wellness, Holidays
This project began with a piece of wood. In 2 days, I will send my two teen sons off to summer camp for a week. I will have the entire place to myself for 6 nights. I have decided to use the time to revamp my Christmas ornaments, which are an amalgam of inherited...
by Wendy Hoke | Jan 14, 2026 | Boundaries, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Guest Contributor
Each year during the Thanksgiving season, I open my storage unit to retrieve my Christmas ornaments. Next to the boxes sits an antique grandfather wall clock that once belonged to my former mother-in-law’s family. It still chimes on the hour, but it no longer keeps...
by Wendy Hoke | Jan 1, 2026 | CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, Emotional Wellness, Guest Contributor
I am a mountain climber at heart, and I live in California, home to the Sierra Nevadas. I’ve spent much of my life moving through the backcountry with a pack on my shoulders. Over time, I learned to bring only what truly matters for survival. The lack of comforts...
by Wendy Hoke | Aug 30, 2023 | ACEs, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD, CPTSD and PTSD, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Emotional Flashbacks, PTSD, Symptoms of CPTSD, Trauma, Trauma-Informed
I often find myself caught between two feelings. The first is the instinct to correct and clarify when someone misuses a term associated with my experience. The second is the desire to be understanding and non-judgmental. After all, everyone’s trauma is valid, no...
