Survivors Blog
Guess Who
Those of us of a certain age will remember the board game Guess Who where based on questions about appearance or features we eliminated characters to work out who our opponent was describing, who their mystery person was. I spent many hours playing the game with my cousin, hoping they wouldn’t ask…
The Game
I’ve sat with this since the news about the collapse of the grooming gangs enquiry started to break and the later news about royal family emails and other revelations. I’ve sat with this as I’ve listened to politicians and influential people discuss the world of grooming and exploitation, a world…
Collaboration and Repair: Learning to Stay in the Room When We Get It Wrong
It’s easy to talk about collaboration when everything is going well. It is much harder to stay in collaboration when discomfort, mistakes, and misunderstandings arise. We don’t often speak about that part — the repair. Recently, I was reminded how important repair is when we work with others from a…
When Collaboration Isn’t Collaboration: On Alignment, Authenticity, and the Quiet Politics of Community Work
I’ve been reflecting on a question I was asked recently during a community ‘collaboration hub’ session: “What stops you from collaborating with others?” Around the table, the responses were mostly: Time Funding Capacity Opportunity I listened. Considered. I understood what they meant — but none…
Trauma-Informed Healing Through Nervous System Awareness
Using embodied nervous system attunement to help people recognise, regulate, and return to themselves with dignity and care. My understanding of nervous system states began very early in my life. After a near-death experience as a young child, my body seemed to pay close attention to the world…
The Bridge Between Chakras, the Vagus Nerve, and Interpersonal Neurobiology
Have you ever sensed that science and spirituality might be describing the same truth in different languages? I’ve often reflected on how the vagus nerve, the chakra system, and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) all seem to meet at the same intersection — where energy, emotion, and connection flow…
When the Body Knows Before the Mind
Understanding fainting, fear, and the wisdom of the vagus nerve Someone once told me they believe they faint in the presence of evil. To some, that might sound far-fetched or even dramatic — but to me, it made perfect sense. I believe there’s truth in it, though perhaps not in the way it first…
The Opposite of TRUST: A Mirror We All Must Face
Trauma-informed practice isn’t just about understanding others — it’s about choosing how we show up in every interaction. Every day, in every conversation, we have a choice: To walk the path of alignment, compassion, and light — or to fall into the unconscious patterns that perpetuate harm. Even…
When Truth Becomes Too Inconvenient to Hear: Trauma, the Inquiry, and a Hybrid Model for Justice and Repair
The national inquiry has stalled — and for many survivors, the impact runs far deeper than frustration or disappointment. What we’re witnessing isn’t just politics; it’s trauma being reactivated in real time. When politicians try to control or manage the truth, survivors experience something…
From Collapse to Connection: Understanding the Dorsal Vagal State and the Path Back from Despair
When we talk about trauma, we often speak of fight or flight—but rarely of the quietest survival state of all: freeze…