James Ballantyne

Post-Traumatic Growth

  • Different Growth.

    The hacking was brutal By darkness of night, they acted alone To fell To cut To wound Cutting deep Cutting through Exposing the raw, pure flesh of the core A spectacle A ridicule A supposed triumph At your expense And… Continue reading

  • From Breaking to Awakening.

    Awakening: Comes, from Breakening, Surrendering, Feeling, Shouting, Raging, Crying, Shaking, Hurting, Fearing, Swearing, Grieving , Hurting, Confusing, Darkening, Spiralling, down down down…. further, down… Until: Then…waiting… Silencing, Listening, Remembering, Resetting, Knowing , Singing, Sparking, Firing, Loving, Healing, Soothing, Realising, Changing,… Continue reading

  • The two things that robbed me….of myself.

    If yesterday I wrote about my own joinery from self loathing and denial to becoming more self referential, respectful and also giving space to trust my feelings. Today I’ve pondered the question – what happened to me, so that I… Continue reading

  • Avoiding emotions is like driving with brake stuck on.

    Now I’ve done therapy, I can deal with everything, all the emotions! So when they arrive I know exactly what to do Disappointment, Anger, grief, self depreciation, annoyance, frustration, tick them all off, I just sit, breathe, and let wash… Continue reading

  • 2 years of being able to breathe

    I realised this week that I’ve been able to breathe for 2 years now, these were the first two years I’d been able to breathe in my whole life I remember when I walked into the flat 25 months ago… Continue reading

  • Growing though Trauma (personally and collectively)

    In my last piece I shared a little about how we love ourselves through healing, what it means to be kind on ourselves, as we do so, forgiving our missteps, not over dwelling on the tiny attempts to try that… Continue reading

    Growing though Trauma (personally and collectively)