This book is a memoir - not of specific life events, but of the processes of dissociation, and of re-enlivening emotions that are shameful to admit or even to feel. It is an account of the altered states that trauma induces, which make it possible to survive a life-threatening event but impair the capacity to feel fear, and worse still, impair the ability to love. (292) Jessica Stern
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This book is a memoir - not of specific life events, but of the processes of dissociation, and of re-enlivening emotions that are shameful to admit or even to feel. It is an account of the altered states that trauma induces, which make it possible to survive a life-threatening event but impair the capacity to feel fear, and worse still, impair the ability to love. In this quote from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye , she speaks about the emotional trauma experienced by her fictional character Pecola Breedlove. In this novel, Morrison addresses the idea of being a victim of childhood sexual assault by a male authority figure. Her character suffers from both external and internal trauma resulting from her abuse, which in turn leads her to dissociate from reality. Morrison explores the many feelings a person might have when they have been abused in a way that has been described as “monstrous” or “disgusting” by people in their community.

Source: Denial: A Memoir Of Terror

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  1. I can still bring into my body the joy I felt at seeing the first trillium of spring, which seemed to be telling me, "Never give up hope, spring will come.
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