Summary: On this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, our guest is Swiss, a woman who has experienced her fair share of trauma and loss and has chosen to commit to picking herself back up. Swiss grew up in Switzerland and in an effort to run away from childhood trauma and feelings of abandonment, she moved to the U.S. when she was 16. As it turns out, running away from your problems and unhealed wounds doesn’t make them go away, and Swiss felt the impacts of them into adulthood. A few years ago, she was in a relationship with a man with whom she had been friends for several years before they started dating. She was putting everything into that relationship, and even though other people told her that she was losing herself in someone else who didn’t feel as strongly about her, she continued on with the same fervor. Abruptly and unexpectedly, he passed away. Since Swiss had put so much of herself into that relationship, she really struggled to make sense of it all, feeling numb at first, then disoriented, then depressed and lost in the world. She turned back to God and sought His help during this time of grief, but she realized that she needed more help. She had been so ashamed at the thought of needing to go to therapy because she didn’t want people to think that she was crazy, but she found that her friends were actually very supportive of her going to therapy. Her therapist helped her figure out that there were so many unresolved feelings lingering from her childhood and from the unexpected death of another friend many years before, and she began working through those difficult feelings of abandonment. Through therapy, Swiss has learned that it is ok to be in the lowest valley for a time, but you cannot let yourself stay there. She was also encouraged by reading about Biblical characters who struggled with deep agony and the feeling of failure but did not give up or lose sight of their ultimate purpose. She wants everyone to know that you will get stronger, even if it takes time, that there is a plan and a purpose for your life, and that you should not be ashamed of your struggles. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Childhood trauma • Getting the help you need • Not being ashamed of who you are • Don’t give up Connect with Swiss: https://www.facebook.com/findyourself01
