Once Your Nervous System Has Tasted Safety, The Old Triggers Move at Relativistic Speeds For a long time, I couldn’t understand why re-engaging with my mother in 2019 hit me so much harder than it ever had before. I’d already survived decades with her.I’d already been through multiple recovery attempts.I’d…
Survivor
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The Mistake I Thought I Made — And the Truth I Finally Saw
There’s a part of the Missouri story I don’t talk about much — not because it’s dramatic or explosive, but because the shame around it lingered long after the dust settled. It’s the part where my daughter told me she was pregnant. November 13th, 2023. I remember where I was…
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Before the Mom-pocalypse, I Had a Preview
—a reflection on my first “accidental” no-contact break Most people assume my No Contact journey started in 2024, when the truth finally blew the doors off my life. But in reality, the first crack in the system happened years earlier—long before I knew what narcissism was, long before I had…
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Liminal Space: The Phone Calls After the Mask Fell
What It’s Like Talking to a Narcissistic Parent After You Finally See the Truth There’s a strange and disorienting phase that happens after the moment of “unmasking” — the point where the narcissistic parent you’ve known your entire life suddenly becomes transparent. For me, that moment arrived on Mother’s Day…
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The Dungeon: The Breakdown Before the Breakthrough
A Trauma-Informed Reflection on the Morning Everything Finally Snapped June 7, 2024 There are moments in trauma recovery that don’t look like healing at all.They don’t look strong.They don’t look empowered.And they definitely don’t look like clarity. They look like collapse. For me, that moment was June 7th, 2024 —…
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How Bitcoin Became Part of My Healing Journey
Or: Why I Bought My First Satoshis at 50 Most people assume that because I’ve been a tech guy my whole life, I must have been into Bitcoin since the early days. Truth is?I didn’t buy my first bitcoin until April of 2025. Not because I wasn’t interested. Not because…
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Why I Chose No Contact
(And Why It Was the Most Loving Choice I’ve Ever Made) Going No Contact with a parent isn’t a decision you make lightly. It isn’t impulsive. It isn’t done out of anger, spite, or immaturity. It’s the kind of decision you reach only after a lifetime of trying everything else…
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Boundaries - cPTSD - Invalidation - Narcissistic Parent - No Contact - Recovery - Survivor - Trauma - Triggers
Bless Your Heart — A Reflection on Invalidation
There’s a moment from my daughter’s wedding that keeps resurfacing in my mind — not because it ruined the day, not because it carried malice, but because it revealed something deep about how invisible trauma can be to people who haven’t lived through it. During the rehearsal, I met the…