Reach out! You don't have to explain how crazy she was. We believe you!!!

Silence Was Survival. Healing Became Her Voice. | Barbara, Author of Spells for Surviving a Haunted Childhood

What happens when the secrets you've carried your entire life finally find their way onto the page?

In this deeply moving episode of Beyond Mommy Dearest, Noelani sits down with Barbara, author of the powerful trilogy Spells for Surviving a Haunted Childhood. Through a unique blend of memoir, poetry, magical realism, and healing practices, Barbara shares how writing helped her transform childhood trauma into a pathway toward healing.

Together, they discuss childhood neglect, abandonment, emotional wounds, trauma recovery, nervous system healing, parenting after trauma, and the journey from surviving to thriving. Barbara opens up about growing up with a mother who literally left her for the circus, navigating abuse, carrying family secrets, and ultimately discovering that healing doesn't mean forgetting. It means learning how to live alongside your past without letting it define your future.

In This Episode

• Why silence becomes a survival strategy for traumatized children
• How trauma physically impacts the body and nervous system
• The healing power of writing, journaling, art, and storytelling
• What a "haunted childhood" really looks like
• Growing up feeling unseen, unheard, and alone
• The difference between surviving and healing
• Learning to identify and name emotions
• Parenting after trauma and breaking generational cycles
• Why healing is not linear
• The impact of childhood abandonment and neglect
• How awareness becomes the bridge between the haunted and the healer
• The importance of finding safe people
• Healing from complex trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
• Why survivors need spaces where they are believed

Trigger Warning

This episode includes discussions of:

• Childhood abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Childhood neglect
• Suicide attempts
• Trauma and PTSD/C-PTSD
• Mental health challenges

Please listen at your own pace and prioritize your well-being.

Connect with Barbara

Follow Barbara on Instagram

Buy Barabara books

Book 1 - https://amzn.to/49uI4Hs

Book 2 - https://amzn.to/4fN1I5d

Book 3 - https://amzn.to/4uysW4c

https://canva.link/9volf8vn68ucp1g - Feeling Wheel

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean - ACEs

beyondmommydearest.com

https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLVPR1DTKQG4P/checkout/IHYS6DJ4XJCQKFSKT5ROOVXH - Drop in Session - $19.99

https://www.facebook.com/BeyondMommyDearest/

https://www.tiktok.com/@beyond.mommy.dearest

https://www.instagram.com/beyondmommydearest/

Why Teens May (Temporarily) Push Their Parents Away - https://www.fosteringresilience.com/article/why-teens-may-temporarily-push-their-parents-away

Support the show