Sometimes silence feels more threatening than chaos.
Dear Survivor,
One woman I worked with described how anxious she felt in her first healthy relationship. There were no raised voices, no sudden mood swings, no punishments for speaking her mind. On the outside, everything looked calm. But inside, she was panicked. Her body could not relax, even in kindness.
That confusion is more common than most people realize.
Survivors often equate peace with the moments right before harm. When you have lived in a high-alert state, calm can feel unfamiliar, even unsafe. The nervous system learns to expect crisis, to scan for danger, to prepare for impact. When that danger does not arrive, it does not always bring relief. It can bring fear.
Healing means teaching your body that safety is not a trap.
This survivor had to learn to sit with quiet. She had to unlearn the idea that peace meant she was being set up. With time, she began to trust slowness. She began to believe that a soft tone did not mean something was hiding. She could finally breathe without bracing.
Your reactions are not broken, they are conditioned.
If peace feels hard, you are not failing at healing. You are unwinding years of survival instinct. Take it one breath at a time. And if you need help making sense of what you are feeling, Reclaiming Strength offers journal prompts that meet you where you are.
You are allowed to feel safe without fear.
Blessings and healing,
Catrina
#narcissisticabuse #domesticviolence #DV #IPV #abuser #toxicrelationships #abusivepartners #emotionalabuse #narcissist #survivorstories #healingjourney #traumarecovery #relationshipabuse #abusesurvivor #mentalhealth #healingafterabuse #coercivecontrol