I’ve spent over twenty years on this healing journey, untangling the complex web of CPTSD -Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- and learning how to navigate a body that spent decades hyper-vigilant and bracing for impact. I used to think healing meant reaching some flawless, polished finish line where the past completely disappeared. Today, I know better. I’m not 100% healed, and honestly? That’s perfectly okay with me. What matters is that I learned how to move out of survival mode, regulate my system, and succeed in building a life filled with connection, joy, and purpose. Over the years, I’ve gathered a whole toolkit of practices, but one unexpected guide along the way was Florence Scovel Shinn’s 1928 classic, ‘Your Word Is Your Wand. “
Growing up, the conditions around me taught me that I wasn’t safe, worthy, or in control, and for a long time as an adult, those early survival patterns dictated my internal monologue. I caught myself constantly expecting the other shoe to drop, speaking to myself with heavy, protective doubt, and unknowingly declaring my own limitations. Florence’s teaching hit me right where I needed it: the idea that our spoken words and deep-seated beliefs act like a wand, shaping the exact reality we inhabit. I realized that while I couldn’t control the trauma of my childhood, I had total authority over the words and definitions I chose today. I stopped using my words to rehearse old fears and started using them to command: Safety, Self-compassion, and Ease in my body.
That shift in perspective transformed how I approach my daily life and my work with others. Instead of viewing my triggers as proof that I was broken, I began using my voice to anchor the reality I was actively building—one grounded in self-trust and power. Scovel Shinn wrote about “replacing conditional conditions with unwavering faith in your own spirit”, and that spoke directly to my process of reclaiming my life. The past doesn’t get to dictate every chapter of my present and future; by choosing words that align with my present strength and gifts, rather than my old protection mechanisms, I transformed survival into genuine creation, and so can you.
Leave a Reply