Everyone has a story to tell about a traumatic experience because there’s no escaping trauma. Trauma is a thread that connects people, as no human is immune to it. What trauma looks like is individual, but at the core is loss. Death, divorce, illness, natural disaster, and war are just some of the kinds of loss that affect millions of people daily. Feelings and emotions are relatable even when the cause of loss is different. It’s the feeling of loss that pulls us closer together. No two experiences will ever be identical, but the feelings of an experience will resonate with someone. Emotions are universal even if the depth at which we feel varies from person to person. Sharing our personal stories of trauma is like throwing a life raft to someone in the ocean. They keep them afloat and prevent them from drowning.
Stories don’t save people but they can offer valuable information on survival. Knowing that someone else out there can relate to what you’ve been through or are going through, makes us feel less alone. Identifying, processing, and dealing with the variety of emotions that come forth from tragedy is crucial to healing. Just telling what you have experienced can having healing effects on both of you. You don’t have to be a therapist to help someone unpack their emotional baggage, and writers are not the only people who have stories to tell. Everyone has a story to tell. Stories are what make up our day to day existence. Every story told has a relatable aspect that offers validation of our feelings.
The more we share our stories, the more we can relate to and help one another. Trauma doesn’t have to be experienced alone and stories shouldn’t be locked away for no one to hear. Honor yourself by sharing your story and give hope to someone else.
