What happens when childhood trauma, abuse, grief and years of masking finally catch up with you?

In this episode of The After The Fall Show, I sit down with Natalie for a raw conversation about autism, ADHD, school trauma, self-harm, domestic abuse, grief, healing and the long road back to yourself.

Natalie shares how growing up undiagnosed left her anxious, overwhelmed and masking heavily from a young age. She opens up about depression in childhood, self-harm as a release, PTSD, fibromyalgia linked to trauma, and the pain of losing her dad after a rapid battle with cancer.

We also talk about the moment everything had to change — reaching a point of complete despair, finding the strength to leave an abusive relationship, and slowly rebuilding through support, self-work, boundaries and learning to trust again.

This is an episode about what happens when life strips everything back and asks you to choose yourself.

If you have ever lived through abuse, loss, trauma, masking, burnout or the feeling that you have lost who you are, this conversation will speak to you.

In this episode we explore:

• late diagnosis of autism and ADHD

• school trauma and masking

• depression and self-harm

• PTSD, trauma and chronic pain

• losing a parent and deep grief

• domestic abuse and leaving

• suicidal crisis and reaching out

• healing, support and rebuilding trust

• letting go of the old version of yourself

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:31 Natalie before the fall

02:22 What was happening behind the mask

03:40 Masking, self-harm and hidden pain

04:28 PTSD, trauma and fibromyalgia

06:35 Losing her dad

07:47 Numbness, grief and shock

09:30 The breaking point

10:33 Leaving abuse and choosing life

12:41 What rebuilding actually looked like

14:46 Reaching out and accepting support

16:55 What people get wrong about change

17:28 Letting go of the old version of yourself

18:15 Healing, trust and building a new support network

21:09 There is no time limit on healing

22:28 Natalie’s message to anyone struggling

25:44 The whirlpool metaphor for healing

26:31 Closing reflections on abuse, power and survival

Follow The After The Fall Show for more raw conversations about collapse, trauma, recovery, identity and rebuilding after the fall. Also check out our main site www.StreetTherapy.co.uk