Some wounds form before language, before memory - yet they shape how we relate, love, and see ourselves for a lifetime.

In this deeply introspective episode, I’m joined by Dawn Nelson, author of Bone by Bone: Healing the Emotional Wounds of Preverbal and Childhood Abuse. Through raw, courageous storytelling, Dawn invites us into the hidden layers of early trauma - especially emotional neglect in infancy - and how its imprint lives in the body long after the mind has forgotten.

Dawn shares her personal journey of uncovering the truth about her early life, including the moment she discovered legal records that confirmed what her body had always known. We explore the paradox of grief and relief, the creation of the “false self” as a survival strategy, and how compassion - for both self and parents - can exist alongside truth.

This conversation is not about blame or reliving pain. It’s about reclamation - learning to reparent the parts of ourselves that were unseen, unheard, and unmet, and discovering that healing doesn’t require perfect memories - only honesty, presence, and care.

In this episode, we explore:

• How preverbal trauma and emotional neglect shape adult identity
• Why emotional wounds can exist without conscious memory
• The body’s role in holding early trauma
• Dismantling the false self and reconnecting with the “unmothered” child
• Holding truth and compassion at the same time
• What healing looks like when it becomes a lifelong return to self

This episode is a gentle yet powerful invitation to look inward, honor your earliest experiences, and remember: it’s never too late to tend to the child within.

🔗 Links & Resources

🌐 Website: www.fromtheheart-hands.com

📘 Bone by Bone by Dawn Nelson:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dawn-Nelson/author/B001K7PSR2

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