From Existing to Thriving: How Saprea Helped Me Reclaim My Life

Before I found Saprea, I was existing—not surviving, not living. Thank god I found them when I did. I attended the Saprea Retreat in 2019 and, for the first time in my life, I felt seen, heard, understood, and loved.

I was impacted by trauma throughout my childhood and never felt secure in myself. There was always something to battle through, something to deal with, and stability was a rare thing. I hated myself and everyone around me as a young lady. Even when I settled, I never felt like myself. I was just helping others and burying my traumas, not dealing with them.

Finding a community that understood all my seemingly crazy thoughts, feelings, and self-hate was absolutely fundamental in my healing journey. I finally found my tribe among the women I attended with. The classes taught me that I wasn’t crazy actually. I was healing from a trauma that my body hung onto even when my brain had forgotten.

Every class allowed me to begin healing parts of myself I didn’t know needed healing. I began to reclaim my hope, and now, almost 5 years later, I have qualified to teach prevention classes with Saprea. I thank Saprea for allowing me to reclaim hope and start to heal myself after childhood sexual abuse stripped away all my hope and sense of identity.

Much like kintsugi, I fell apart but glued myself back together. What I see now is a strong, loving, inspiring, and empowering woman who wishes to reach as many survivors like us and show them there is a place they can go to begin their healing. Saprea is such a huge part of my life, and I am so grateful to them for the life-changing experiences that have helped make me the woman I am today. I am not surviving, existing, or hiding anymore; I am thriving.