🌀 Healing Without Forgiveness


Hi Reader,

So much has been written about physical and sexual abuse, but comparatively little exists about neglect and its impact as the neglected child moves into adulthood.

Amanda Gregory's fascinating and important essay explores many complicated themes and ideas; how neglect changes the brain and forever alters relationships, feelings, and actions, the importance of embracing what she calls "elective forgiveness" and what we do with our complicated feelings towards people who have harmed us, in one way or another.

Please read and share her essay; guaranteed that someone out there in your life needs to read it.

All my best,
Gabe Nathan
Executive Director

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? That's our social media platform of choice and we'd love to be connected with you there for a daily dose of Recovery Diaries together.

Healing Without Forgiveness: My Journey Through Trauma Recovery

by Amanda Gregory

At age 33, I feared that I was a sociopath. I didn’t love people or seek to be loved by them. When they left me, I didn’t miss them; when they touched me, I couldn’t feel them; when they died, I didn’t grieve. I had no secure attachments, not to myself nor anyone else. I must be a sociopath. What else could explain my cold heart? My anxiety became so torturous that I needed to know one way or another.


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