About Me
I have Complex PTSD because I was raised by a borderline personality-disordered parent.
I make no apologies for standing in that truth — and you shouldn’t either.
For twenty-two years of my adult life, I lived in what I call “the cave” — overthinking everything, trying to make sense of chaos with zero real education about trauma. What I didn’t know back then was that my “extreme mental processing addiction” was actually my nervous system trying to survive.
Healing is what turned that overthinking into my superpower.
In 2018, I started a Facebook group for survivors like me who were tired of waiting for traditional systems to catch up. We realized pretty quickly: if we sit around hoping Quackery Today will fix CPTSD for us, our whole lives will pass us by.
So we put our heads together.
Out of those conversations came:
Trauma Glossary 1–3 – plain-language definitions for abuse tactics, trauma symptoms, and the biology behind them
Master Toolbox 1–2 – science-informed, survivor-tested tools you can actually use in real life
I’m not a therapist. I’m a survivor, a researcher, and a builder of systems.
My work is for people who can’t access therapy, don’t trust the mental health system, or simply want tools that actually work for CPTSD physiology — not watered-down generic advice.
And yes — I speak boldly, because survivors deserve clarity, not sugar-coating.
About This Site
This website is the home base for everything I create for trauma survivors:
1. Trauma Education That Finally Makes Sense
My content blends neuroscience, attachment, identity healing, and lived experience — all broken down into simple, visual explanations.
You’ll find:
Trauma Glossary 1–3
Master Toolbox 1–2
Maps, diagrams, and flowcharts that translate complex brain mechanisms into clear steps
Articles that challenge outdated psychology (aka “Quackery Today”) and empower survivors with REAL language
And new science-based resources added regularly
Everything here is written for survivors and for those professionals who actually do care.
2. Daily Trauma Science Videos
I teach trauma science every single day on YouTube and TikTok — in short, digestible lessons that help you understand why your brain reacts the way it does.
You can follow here:
YouTube: Jaena Defeating Childhood Trauma
TikTok: Jaena_DCT
My ongoing science series include:
Trauma Brain Science 101
Trauma’s Memory Crew
Survival Mode Science Hacks
Your Story in Chemistry Form
The Fear Circuitry Rounds
(Currently: The Default Mode Network + Identity Healing)
These free videos are my gift to the survivor community.
3. Jaena’s Tool Shop
I create practical, trauma-safe tools that survivors can use immediately — no therapist required.
You can find them here:
Jaena’s Tool Shop (NEW!)
Tools include:
CPTSD-Safe Daily Check-In™
A 7-day trauma-safe system for emotional mapping, interoception, and identity repairMore cognitive + nervous system tools launching throughout the year
Companion journals
Eventually, workshops, guided video courses and masterclasses
Every tool is designed for:
survivors of chronic trauma
alexithymia
shutdown/freeze
dissociation
and high-functioning survival patterns
in mind.
4. My Mission
This site exists because survivors have been failed by the mental health system for far too long.
My mission is simple:
To give trauma survivors the science, language, tools, and clarity they were never given — so they can finally heal.
I believe:
People with CPTSD are the most beautiful souls on the planet, but they have been programmed to believe the opposite
CPTSD is adaptive, not defective
You deserve tools that meet your nervous system where it truly is
Education is empowerment
And healing is a skill, not a miracle
5. What’s Coming Next
2026 is a big year.
I’ll be releasing:
New trauma-science courses
Additional cognitive + interoception tools
Live workshops and community learning events
My first memoir, The Year Hell Itself Cracked Open and Swallowed Me – Volume 1: Sixth-Grade Scandal (January 5th)
— the year a beloved teacher emotionally destroyed me in front of my classmates and the messy healing journey of 2018 when I finally told someone.Its trauma workbook companion
Packed with reflection exercises, identity mapping, and tools for survivors of shame, betrayal wounds, and recovering from the scars left by a “nice” abuser.
My mission with this project is simple:
To lead by example so survivors everywhere can tell their stories without collapsing, and to show that healing isn’t just possible — it’s teachable.
This series is the foundation of a larger movement:
survivors raising awareness, ending generational trauma, and speaking truths that the mental-health system has ignored for decades.
Your story matters.
Your healing matters.
And together, we change the narrative.
This site will continue growing — because healing is a lifelong rebuilding process, and survivors deserve resources that grow with them.
A Final Note
I built this space for you — the survivor who was left to fend for themselves, who did the best they could with what they had, and who is now ready to understand themselves clearly for the first time.
You’re not alone here.
You’re not “too much.”
You’re not behind.
You’re rebuilding your internal world from the inside out — and I’m honored to walk with you.