Excerpt from Daring to Share Trauma to Recovery
Chapter 2 by DenaMaria Milanese ~ Inspiration
Early on, a beautiful night-time routine developed after my mother gave me a set of Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories. This special time became a great comfort to me because I believed there was something watching over and protecting me through life within these stories. I read these stories and other fairy tales over and over again; my favourite was Cinderella. While I read, I fantasized about the day my prince would come and take me up one of the mountains to a castle where we would live happily ever after.
One night when I was nine years old, I went to bed and was molested and raped. My fairy tale fantasy faded away in an instant and my safe haven was destroyed. I was so afraid of the man who did this to me that I froze and was not able to scream for help. My life changed in an instant; I felt damaged, dirty, ugly and disconnected from all aspects of feeling human. To this day, I experience moments when I hear his breath and my body immediately tenses as I respond to the memory of what happened so many years ago.
This sensation sometimes lasts for only a moment, but there are times when it seems endless as I focus on moving past the trauma that caused me to stop believing in God so many years ago.
Being part of the journey of this book and meeting Diana has made a huge impact on my life, both personally and professionally. Until working with Diana on this particular Dream Project, I didn’t realize how much authenticity was actually missing in my life. The Daring to Share movement gave me insight into how powerful sharing one's story and true self can be...
~ Philippa Douglas
Head of Fundraising, Karis Support Society
Project Coodinator, The Dream Project;
Daring to Share Trauma to Recovery
These stories of recovery take you from a place of awe and heartbreak to grit and resilience. They inspire you to take action in your life, no matter what is going on for you, to be a better person. Those that dared to share did so with grace, humour, and great self-reflection…
~ Tamara McLellen
Humanitarian | Wild Breath
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
After reading Diana’s collected stories, I felt grateful and inspired. Grateful because it is apparent that I and many others are NOT alone in our separate journeys. Inspired because each of these women stepped up to share their stories in order to provide strength and to elevate others…
