I was about 6 years into my healing journey when I discovered the role the nervous system plays in healing from trauma and chronic stress. By healing journey, I mean healing from a childhood of abuse and neglect. Side effects of being raised by a mom whose unresolved childhood trauma led to paranoid schizophrenia, NPD and manic depression.

My journey started with therapy. At around 18, I found myself in the office of an angel who helped me understand that my home was not normal. That it was, in fact, abusive. She gave me a check list for abuse and I checked off almost everything on it.

It was her that helped me realize I needed to move away from my parents home.

After that, things were not all well and good. I was a mess - and chose to put myself in messy relationships with messy people. I was dysfunctional inside. But I worked hard at my retail job, I participated in church leadership, and I did well in college as an honour roll student.

I had a boyfriend who was dealing with severe...