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Tomato Soup for the Soul: What My Scars Taught Me
Recently, my daughter learned she has to live with a scar on her face for the rest of her life. Daily she remonstrated about how she doesn’t like it one bit. I don’t blame her. In fact, I could empathize a lot! When I was 13 years old, I had a tragic accident that could’ve caused devastating scarring, potentially ending my life’s dream of becoming a musician and composer. ___________________________ It was the Saturday before starting 8th grade. I was ecstatic for school to start. I had requested a specific teacher and it was granted. I knew it was going to be an incredible year! I was also preparing for…
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Pecan Pie Bar Recipe
I’m going to break away from the rules and post the recipe first, then the tips and/or story behind the recipe. You’re welcome! Tips & Backstory Me, pie crust and pecan pie filling have struggled to get along for many years. I have never been able to get my pecan pies to set well without having to first burn them a bit. It doesn’t help either that fructose behaves a bit differently that sucrose (table sugar, cane sugar). Fructose tends to liquify and cause batters to be more soupy. It is a bit sweeter than sucrose. It tends to brown more quickly at lower temperatures, yet requires a higher temperature…
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What My Trauma “Demons” Taught Me
I used to dread and loath when trauma demons from my past and present came for a visit. They’d come in the form of debilitating flashbacks, triggers, night terrors and nightmares, panic attacks, intrusive memories, and so much more. But then, I had an experience with one of these “demons” that changed everything. My daughter kept asking to go to the beautiful university gardens nearby. I avoided it and made excuses because I feared returning there. I knew it would trigger a suffocating amount of trauma demons. Even though I had graduated over a year prior, a paperwork issue arose that I needed to resolve. I did my best to…
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Trauma Healing Tools: Trauma Life Essential Oil Blend
Click here for full Disclaimer and Disclosure. If you have experienced any trauma or distress in your life (and let’s be honest, we can’t get through this life without experiencing something even a little scarring), this powerhouse essential oil blend is a must. Trauma Life Essential Oil Blend by Young Living. As a survivor of severe trauma, it has been very important to me to have effective and nurturing tools to safely release trapped emotions, reprocess surfacing trauma, and sooth triggers, flashbacks, sleep disturbances and other trauma symptoms. While reprocessing traumatic experiences in therapy, Trauma Life has always played a major role in keeping me firmly grounded in the present…
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Self-Care Series: My Journey of Redefining Self-Care
If you feel that trauma has changed you and your needs, and you’re struggling to find what truly soothes you, feeds your soul and breaths life, stability and purpose back into you throughout fresh trauma and post-trauma, then keep reading. Maybe it will be of some help to you. I know what it’s like to be left reeling with and having to manage a trigger storm. I know what it’s like to find myself feeling mentally and emotionally foggy and drained. I know what it feels like to be drowning in the waves of emotional flooding and flashbacks. I know what it feels like to wake up from an uninterrupted…
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Mountains, Wildflowers and…Chocolatey Trauma Healing
Montana has been such a special healing place for me over the last 2 years. It doesn’t take much to convince me to travel cross-country to Montana! Tonight I’m dealing with some sucker-punching real-live triggers. So you know what? I went on a walk – by myself – in the crisp mountain air. And I picked myself some wild flowers. Because nothing says “I love me, Camilla” more than giving me mountains and wildflowers – both in one day. I deserve flowers, dagammit! I deserve honesty. I deserve emotional intimacy. I deserve goodness. I deserve to feel cared for. So there! ? (By the way, the big yellow wild flowers…
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My #1 Body Shame
Someone close to me struggling with body shame asked me recently if I struggle with body shame at all. My initial response … “…nope…don’t think so.” Then after some reflection I realized I actually DO! And I honestly got excited because I know exactly how to conquer it! This abdomen … it doesn’t bother me that it’s not toned. I love my squishies. A lot! I’m proud of them and I’ve worked HARRRRRRRD to get a few rolls! And those stretch marks … I wouldn’t trade them for anything! It’s the hair. The pubic hair. All the way up to my belly button. In my early teens I was repeatedly…
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Fruits of Healing Trauma
Trauma. It has touched, affected, and permeated every corner, crack, and crevice of my life. Even General Conference. But today I tasted healing fruits. For the last few years I’ve had a really difficult time watching General Conference. Not because of mom problems (like little bedlamites running rampant and noisily throughout the house). It was because of trauma and how it impacted my sensory input. My threshold for auditory sensory input quickly dropped to maybe 20 minutes – regardless of how pleasant the sound was. Because of that, I haven’t been able to sit through and actually get something out of Conference for about 3 years. It has just been…
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(Almost) Paleo Persian Love Cake – A Gift to Brittany’s Supporters
You did it! All you wonderful donors, shares and prayers. You all helped push to the half-way mark to $25,000 for Brittany Dangerfield. A little over $15,000 total have been donated. Hundreds of donations. A little under 1,000 shares via Gofundme alone. Thousands of faith-filled prayers. Hundreds of words of encouragement and support. The outpouring of your love and support has been overwhelming and humbling. Speaking of love… I wanted to share my love and gratitude for all of you! I promised a special gift for all of you for helping reach the halfway mark! My gift to you is… !!! (Almost) Paleo Persian Love Cake!!! The lore behind the…
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UPDATE – Brittany Dangerfield
Brittany is still in the hospital. I did not fully understand all that was happening behind the scenes when I shared that she would be released yesterday. The doctor aggressively started trying to force-release Brittany (prematurely) based solely on her improved vitals. He did not take into account that the original purpose that landed her in the hospital (severe abdominal pain and sepsis) were still significantly unresolved. On top of the undiagnosed abdominal pain, Brittany still cannot walk unassisted. She still suffers a lot of nausea and vomiting and struggles to keep solids and even liquids down. And she has unexplained and unresolved, debilitating migraines. None of these are good…
