Traumatic Loss – I Overcame It and You Can Too!

My father was killed in front of me. It was 2003. I was on vacation with my parents. There was an accident.  

In 2001, I was living my dream in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I was financially independent, I had a great group of friends and I was living a few blocks from the mountains. I got involved in many outdoor activities, from hiking and biking to white water rafting and skiing. I could do what I want, when wanted.  

This included a vacation to Las Vegas to celebrate my father’s birthday. We were having a fantastic time and my parents wanted to take me out to Lake Mead to show off their newly acquired 28-foot cabin cruiser. We were having an amazing time, until the accident that changed my life.  

I froze. And unfortunately, I stayed that way for half a decade. I couldn’t make decisions, I couldn’t relate to others and I couldn’t see a future. I went back and forth between rational and irrational thinking. Luckily, one of the rational thoughts I did manage to have was, ‘I am definitely going to need therapy after this’.  

It took 5 years, a great therapist and the love and support of my close friends and immediate family to become a functioning adult again. I was finally able to reconnect with the world around me, reinvent myself and rediscover my passion for people. Part of the joy I found, after all that, is the joy of helping others. 

I have rediscovered my joy! I know you can too! 

I would love to hear your story and find out if there’s an opportunity for me to help you (Re)Connect with the world & (Re)Invent yourself to (Re)Discover your joy!