THERE IS HOPE!
Emotional trauma has a way of twisting reality, making it hard to see our way to healing. The pain and fear can get a strangle-hold on our hope, blinding us to the very light that can sustain us through the hardship. However, no matter the severity of our trauma or the toll it takes on our minds and bodies, there is light sprinkled throughout our experiences—pieces of hope and strength—to hold onto as we navigate the darkness of the trauma.
Miracles in the Dark is a compelling and raw story of overcoming the trauma of childhood abuse and reclaiming healing light. You will gain insights about:
- How trauma affects our mental and physical capabilities
- The power in accepting and processing the pain of abuse
- How the kind acts of others (no matter how small) play a key role in the healing journey
- That there are miracles available to help us heal
- The reality that healing from abuse is possible
"Regardless of the pains and heartache we are called to go through, all of us can find light and hope and ultimately thrive in the life that is uniquely our own."
Links to Purchase Book:
Tammy René, author of Miracles in the Dark: How a Childhood Cult and Abuse Survivor Reclaimed the Light.
OUT OF THE DARK
For the first thirty years of my life, the trauma of the severe abuse I suffered at the hands of my parents stayed buried deep in my subconscious. This repression kept me from sinking into the sea of self-loathing and despair that often accompanies abuse, but in my early thirties, everything came to a head as the dark memories of the abuse began to surface. To help me through the painful emotions, I sought counselling and learned to navigate my own path toward healing. Mixed in with the memories of so much trauma, peaceful scenes of light that sustained me through the pain and aloneness resurfaced. Still, my brain kept the peace separate from the trauma, afraid that the pain would erase the good in my life forever.
I hung on to every good thought and experience with a tight-rope grip, hoping to douse the heartache with light. As much as all of the good enlarged my soul, there was a dark chasm inside me deeper than anything I could imagine. The wall that separated the light and dark became a monstrous void that threatened to swallow me whole.
MOVING FORWARD
Working my way forward toward healing, new truths rumbled up out the depths of my soul and I was diagnosed with what is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder. While the doctor said it was a coping device that the brain engages when the trauma is too much to handle, the diagnosis made me feel like I was losing my sanity. The reality was that the pain, fear, and hopelessness of the most traumatic events of my childhood were transformed into separate identities. Each identity fulfilled a role to help me survive when things got scary. The diagnosis is that I’m not crazy, just very hurt.
Accepting the DID diagnosis destroyed the walls of protection my brain had built—like a powerful earthquake rolls through a city reducing great structures to rubble. For the first time I saw the wounded and vulnerable parts of me exposed. Each one held their own secrets and developed their own way of coping with the pain. They hid from my consciousness in an effort to allow me to survive the ongoing trauma that was my childhood.
My journey has been about the freedom of learning and accepting truth. Even more importantly it is about rediscovering the light inside me and learning to own it, build on it, and then share it.
Effects of Abuse: the Silent Killer
INTO THE LIGHT
I have worked as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) in behalf of abused and neglected children and currently volunteer with our local Suicide Prevention Network as a PTSD support group facilitator. In conjunction with speaking about abuse and healing, I am an award-winning author and ambassador for hope, healing, and thriving after abuse.
Music and writing soothe my soul and I find strength in the outdoors. I cherish time with my husband, children and grandchildren and am grateful for each moment we have together.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093207136396
https://www.instagram.com/tammyrene915/
First, I want to thank Tammy Renee, Ignite Press and The Non Fiction Association for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
Tammy Renee needs to be commended for being so brave sharing her deeply personal story with her readers. Miracles in The Dark How A Childhood Cult and Abuse Survivor Reclaimed the Light is a quick read but not an easy read. However, it is a story that must be told in the hopes of helping others heal.
I totally fell in love with this beautiful cover design by KM Shadidul Arafat! It was the perfect graphic for this book!
Tammy would like to dedicate this book to her husband for his compassion, understanding and strength. One thing that I loved about this book is we not only heard Tammy’s story but her husband's side of it as well.
She would also dedicate this book to all the hurting children in each of us.
I appreciated the fact that right in the beginning of the book Tammy addressed some very sensitive topics that may trigger some.
D. Wayne Abbott, Ph.D wrote a note to the readers in his forward.. He agreed with me that this is not an easy read.
Tammy’s story was a fast paced one sitting type of a read. I enjoyed getting to know Tammy and her family better.
They always say to go with your gut instinct on things. Tammy had a hunch about her Dad and she was right. What she uncovered and how she uncovered it blew me away.
There were so many extremely important life lessons in this book that everyone could benefit from.
At the end of the book Tammy a note to survivors of abuse. Not only that but she includes a letter to friends from abuse victims. She also includes some important resources for her readers to have.
After reading this I think this book would be great for a book club discussion, in the school library, school counselor or health office for both kids and adults.
