Ashley was violently assaulted by a man that she loved. This ended the relationship. She locked the grief away into closets for a long time. Recently, she thought about what she should do with the time that's been gifted to her. So, Ashley confronted her long buried pain and gave herself permission to revisit the assault. She took the time and room to uncover her own hurt, although it was extremely painful. Ashley realized that she had been suffering from PTSD, but masked it with a sunny disposition. She forgave herself for holding it in and realized that she was not at fault for what happened. Then, as if a miracle happened, Ashley crossed the threshold. She shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - strive not to see yourself as a victim, but rather a survivor - we need to do the work - open the closets and deal with ugly contents - I exist as I am ... and that is enough - give yourself permission to open the closets of your soul - be kind to yourself and allow emotions to surface - forgive yourself for waiting so long to uncover your trauma - move into the future and claim your story - every experience shapes us https://ashleysweeneyauthor.com  tags: Ashley, Sweeney, author, Eliza, White, Answer Creek, journalist, teacher, community, activist, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean https://storiesthatempower.com  

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