The Journey to Reclaiming Joy

Hi, my name is Vanessa and I’m a Naturopathic doctor who works with women with complex trauma in order to help them step into empowerment, joy and purpose. 

If I may, I’d like to share my story with you in hopes that someone out there can have hope.

I didn’t get into trauma work because it was “interesting.”  

An important thing to know about me is that… (trigger warning)…

I’m also someone who has a history of complex trauma.

 I’ve experienced things that impacted my mental/emotional and physical development and relationship as early as age 3.

You’ll hear more of my story in drip form if you hang around but it was chronic exposure to sexual and physical abuse, and the impact of being a refugee in a foreign country.

My early life was spent with instability and that rendered me immature developmentally in many ways - physically, emotionally, mentally and relationally.

I spent the last 28 years of my life coping with panic attacks, hormonal issues, substance abuse and a chronic eating disorder. It also made for very unstable relationships.

For so long I just thought I was really messed up, when really, it was me having internalized years of trauma without having SKILLS to help me deal. For so long I thought I was introverted, when really I was self-isolating because I didn’t trust many people. For so long I thought I just didn’t want to “commit” to a long term relationship, when really it was because relationships felt “unsafe.” For so long I thought I was moody, when really, I had chronic hormonal imbalances and digestive issues that left me riding a chronic roller coaster of blood sugar issues.

It wasn’t until I was 28 when I saw a trauma specialist that was able to zoom out from a diagnosis and see the big picture of what really happened to me.  

It makes me sad to think about what I’ve been through, but also it feels like another life because my story didn’t end there.  

It’s still going – but instead of high functioning anxiety, through all my years of healing, it is me living each day with resiliency, working through my vulnerabilities, my trauma responses and patterns to RECLAIM the joy where I can in my life.

You see, the trauma incurred in my early life was what happened to me – I had no choice. By looking to reclaim the joy in my life, I can choose to design a life that is full of purpose, freedom and on my own terms.

My hope with this blog is that those who have experienced complex trauma can hear my reclamation story and reclaim their own joy and fulfillment, even after all that you’ve been through.

In your transformation,

Dr. Vanessa Ruiz