Your condition Does Not Have to be Your Conclusion/Joe Potosi

Ten years ago I started to journal about my childhood. Putting pen to paper was an escape for me and allowed me to tell the story of my life through my memories. What started as a simple journal became much more as I relived the abusive childhood I endured. The memories on the pages were vivid in my mind and writing them down was a way for me to stop being held hostage by my history of abuse. Writing was a way for me to let go of traumatic memories and gave me the strength and courage to forgive my tormentors. When I would write I would allow the stories that were vivid in my mind turn into words on paper. I found peace and a new sense of self and decided to organize these stories into an autobiography. I shared the stories with friends and families who encouraged me to write. I wrote initially to help myself, but what I have found is that there are so many others with similar experiences of abuse, violence and trauma that I now hope that my writing will inspire others to go from victim to survivor. Surviving does not mean forgetting; instead it means living and not allowing those who have abused me to rent space in my head. Learning and sharing this lesson may help others and that is why I write.