This morning, I was interviewed for a summit called Healing Abandonment & Betrayal Trauma hosted by AVAIYA University. My topic was “Using Abandonment as a Springboard for Change." I was interviewed by a lovely woman named Brielle and one of her questions was, “Isn’t your message to the women in your community that when he abandons you, don’t abandon yourself?”

That really struck me. Of course—that’s it in a nutshell. For some women, after their husband leaves, they feel so bad and worthless, really, that they sort of give up on themselves. Even long after the "bomb drop" day, they are filled with yearning for the life they used to have and feel hopeless about the future, unable to craft a vision of a life after that might bring them joy.

Why do some........

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