Lisa Taylor’s poem “The Little Girl Within” bravely tackles the painful process of recovering from her experiences of childhood trauma. While the poem itself is a striking recount of the experience of trying to recover from complex PTSD as an adult, the author expressed that it took her over four decades to be able to write about her experience. Taylor’s work demonstrates that even with the passage of time, healing from trauma is a multilayered, ongoing process that requires courage, insight, and willpower.

“It was time to feel it all
Knowing the journey had been ignored far too long
The pit of her stomach-wrenching in angst
Shallow breaths increased
Heart racing
Hands shaking
Her body remembering
In an effort to soothe the anxiety
She focused on her breathing
The pace and depth
The rise and fall of her chest
Inhaling deeply
Slow purposeful release
A mantra melody replaying in her mind
“You are alright right now”
“You are safe in this space”

“The Little Girl” was originally published by the CPTSD Foundation, accessible through their website: https://cptsdfoundation.org/2020/03/05/set-free-and-the-little-girl-within-survivor-poetry/.

You can also follow the Lisa Taylor on Twitter at @Taylor_made4_ME, https://twitter.com/taylor_made4_me?lang=en. 

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Soragrit Wongsa, on Unsplash, Creative Commons