For a long time, I didn’t dare ask myself what I truly wanted from the future. When you’ve spent decades in survival mode—walking on eggshells, silencing your truth, being isolated from loved ones, and enduring emotional trauma—your hopes and dreams can become buried under fear and fatigue.
But I’m no longer in survival mode. I am slowly, deliberately, and powerfully shifting into thriving mode.
So, when someone recently asked me the golden question—“What are your plans for the future?”—I paused. Then I smiled. Because finally, I had an answer that was mine, not shaped by fear, obligation, or control.
Here is what my future looks like, from both the heart and the healing lens of trauma recovery:
🌱 To enjoy my family—the very people I was kept from for decades. To laugh again, share stories, hug without fear, and be present in their lives without apology.
🌱 To reconnect with my son, who I haven’t had contact with for 30 years. This one is tender. Hopeful. It may or may not happen—but the desire for reconnection is there, and I hold it with compassion and patience.
🌱 To return to work, to stand on my own two feet again, to rebuild my finances and restore my pension. Economic abuse robbed me of stability—but I’m reclaiming it.
🌱 To care deeply for my health—not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. My nervous system is healing from years of hypervigilance, and I’m learning how to live in a body that no longer needs to brace itself.
🌱 To keep working on myself—because healing is not a destination; it’s a journey. Some wounds may never fully disappear, but they no longer get to define who I am.
🌱 To continue my voluntary work with survivors of domestic abuse—because when we turn our pain into purpose, we create ripples of hope. Helping others is part of my own recovery and a deep source of meaning.
🌱 And above all—to fiercely protect my freedom. Because freedom, once tasted, is non-negotiable. The freedom to think, to speak, to choose, to rest, to rise. No more cages—emotional, psychological, financial, or social.
From a psychological perspective, these aren’t just goals—they are corrective emotional experiences. Each one repairs a rupture caused by trauma. Reconnecting with family heals the isolation. Rebuilding work and finances restores agency and self-worth. Volunteering offers a sense of legacy and coherence. Taking care of my health rebuilds the trust between body and mind. And maintaining freedom breaks the generational and systemic cycles of abuse.
This future isn’t about fantasy. It’s about integration—becoming whole after being fragmented for far too long.
If you’re reading this and you’re still in the early stages of your journey, let me say this: healing takes time. And timingmatters. You’ll know when you’re ready to look forward again—and when you do, I hope you dare to dream big. Not for things, but for peace. For joy. For connection. For you.
Here’s to reclaiming our lives, one brave step at a time. 💛
#HealingJourney #LifeAfterAbuse #PostTraumaticGrowth #FreedomToBe #SurvivorStrong #Reconnecting #EmpoweredLiving #TherapyJourney #VoluntaryWork #TraumaRecovery #NotThePersonYouThinkTheyAre
— Linda C J Turner
Trauma Therapist | Neuroscience & Emotional Intelligence Practitioner | Advocate for Women’s Empowerment
