I found &Rise a few years ago when I was at a low point with my complex trauma. I had started my healing journey, but I needed more extensive treatment and I was on a long waiting list for a therapist. The virtual support groups I attended helped me get through the difficult weeks when I was researching my treatment options--most days I couldn't make it through a few hours of work without breaking down.
I spent the next couple of years working hard to rebuild a sense of safety and security. I completed a partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient program to sort through the ways alcoholism, codependency, emotional neglect, religious trauma and sexual assault had affected my life from early childhood through adulthood. I didn't discover until later how undiagnosed neurodivergence played a role in these cycles of abuse and dysfunction.
Through every step of my healing process, the community of women trauma survivors I found at &Rise has been an essential source of compassion and understanding. In my darkest moments, they helped me keep the perspective that just surviving and moving forward one baby step at a time would eventually get me to a new chapter.
I've taken some big steps, but I will always need a safe space where I can be real about what I'm struggling with. There are very few people and places in our society that are equipped to handle such vulnerability. I think this type of saving grace is sorely needed to help us all get through our individual challenges in this time of collective pain and suffering.
Each dollar you give to &Rise helps women in our community get to their next chapter and become a source of healing and inspiration for others. Thank you for your investment in helping us become the best versions of ourselves and discover our & -- the chapters of healing and growth that come after trauma and adversity.
