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The purpose of this paper is to share Kirsty Lilley’s story.

Kirsty wrote a biographic piece detailing her journey, then shared a creative piece of writing about trust before being interviewed by Robert.

Kirsty shared stories from her life and how her experiences have shaped who she is. In Trust, she gives the reader an intimate insight into her internal and psychological experiences.

Recovery narratives such as this give us an overview of only a single person’s experiences. However, they allow the person with lived experience to explore their story in depth.

Kirsty writes evocatively – her stories will connect with readers.

There is so much to learn from stories such as Kirsty’s. For those who have had similar experiences and for those who work in mental health services.

This is the first time that Kirsty has chosen to share her unique story. It is also the first time in Remarkable Lives that a piece of creative writing has been included alongside a biography.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how often survivors are dismissed and unsupported in response to actively reaching out for help with distress. The author hopes the vignettes written about in this piece will serve to support and contribute to a body of work, which will educate professionals how to better support. The author shares various experiences when opportunities to help were denied and the impact this had on recovery. It is also noted that the responses of some health professionals mirror the original trauma suffered and therefore add to distress unnecessarily.

The author has written about various experiences in different settings in which the support offered fell below professional standards and contributed to further unnecessary distress. The writing is evocative and rich in descriptive detail of the event and then implications of the event on recovery.

The author concludes that it is helpful to use experiences of being dismissed and unsupported by various professionals to contribute to a body of work, which will hopefully educate and support those in caring professions to support survivors better. The author notes that responses to requests for help can unintentionally and intentionally further exacerbate the distress already experienced by those living with traumatic early life experiences and relational abruptions.

This is the author’s unique and first-hand lived experience of reaching out for help in relation to the distress experienced as a result of early life traumatic and adversarial experiences. The author notes that it is helpful to write about these difficult experiences with the hope that they will inform educational programmes to support health professionals in how they respond to people experiencing trauma. This has helped the author regain a sense of agency in contributing to the prevention of further unhelpful responses from various health professionals to those in distress. The vignettes are rich, deeply evocative and moving. The writing process also helped the author make sense of these further difficulties and how they impacted the recovery process.

The purpose of this opinion piece is to give voice to the living experience of shame within myself as the author, both psychologically and physically. This is in the hope to increase awareness among others who experience shame and mental health professionals tasked with supporting people in emotional distress.

The author has written a biographical piece outlining her experiences of living with shame and used rich, provocative and metaphorical language in describing the events which led to this and the impact this has had on my quality of life. The author has positioned shame as a character playing a role in her life.

This piece reveals the inner turmoil experienced when living alongside shame and the resilience and fortitude needed to understand the role of shame and how it developed. With this knowledge and awareness, the author has found it is possible to move forward in life.

The author has lived through adverse and challenging early life experiences within a difficult family environment. The author has shown that it is possible to undertake a healing journey and to come to an acceptance of shame within my own life and still move forward to create supportive relationships with others and a life worth living. These are often the stories of those people who survive great difficulty and still go on to help and support other people.

The author has found and experienced that loving and supportive relationships give the best chance of healing from early life adversities. The author has also found that shame plays an interesting role as both necessary and painful. Moving forward from the distress often associated with shame is a long journey but one that is possible.

The author has aimed to make clear that exploration and education about the lived experience of shame is both helpful for those who suffer and those who intend to help within the mental health professions. Listening to the stories of people with living experiences is vital and plays as important a role as academic theory and learning.

This is a subjective living experience of shame and, in that way, adds to the helpful canon of stories that can inform our understanding of distress and the ability to help. The author has described shame as a character playing a role in her life and belief that this is an interesting way to view this. This piece also contains stories regarding the genesis of shame which are unique to her. The author understands and makes clear that his experience does not necessarily translate or relate to anyone else but stands on its own merit. The author hopes to have much more to contribute in terms of others’ understanding of emotional distress and shame, especially considering its transdiagnostic nature.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how revisiting happy and pleasant memories might bring some peace to the minds of those who struggle with the ongoing impact of early life relational trauma. The author explores previously forgotten but important memories of happier times and safe relationships which have been outweighed by other traumatic memories. The author writes about the impact of revisiting the past through a different lens and how this helped reshape and redefine the future.

The author has written about revisiting happy and pleasant memories from lived experience. The writing is rich and evocative and gives voice to previously forgotten memories of pleasant life events and how soothing this has been.

The author concludes that it has been a helpful and soothing experience to spend time recreating memories of previously happy experiences. It is noted that this brings some balance and perspective to an early life which was dominated by traumatic events. The author suggests that it is possible to lever these pleasant memories to improve self-confidence and to bring about a reduction in harsh self-criticism.

The author concludes that the stories we tell ourselves about our early life experiences impact greatly on our sense of self and the future ability to create a meaningful life moving forward. Whilst it is important for many to revisit painful experiences to process them fully and move forward, it is also important to focus on more pleasant experiences and relational contacts to bring about a fresh perspective and increased confidence. This helps to move a person from threat-centred behaviour to a more soothed and contented state.

The author has found that revisiting soothing and pleasant memories can serve to bring balance and a fresh perspective to early life experiences. It is also noted that the process of writing about these happy memoires has been beneficial in terms of successfully reliving them and savouring the helpful feelings they bring forth.

By exploring the helpfulness of revising a life that has been greatly impacted by traumatic experiences and focusing on the more pleasant and happier times, the author has shown that it is possible to think and feel differently about the past. It is also noted that it is beneficial to feel the happiness these memories bring within the body and mind, and they can bring a sense of calm. This embeds the importance of also asking trauma survivors about the times that were more pleasant and happier for them within the therapeutic process.

This is the author’s first hand and unique testimony of how helpful it was to revisit happier memories in terms of how soothing it was to focus on these amid other more problematic memories. It is noted that this helped the author to regain a sense of hope and agency in terms of moving forward. This opinion piece contains moving and evocative stories about memories of supportive and warm relationships in the life of the author. The author also notes how helpful the writing process has been in terms of slowing down and being able to fully inhabit and savour these more pleasant memories.

The purpose of this paper is to explore from a lived experience perspective the factors impacting on the decision to disclose experiences of abuse to gain support. The author hopes to inform healthcare and allied professionals of the barriers people face when disclosing traumatic experiences to facilitate learning.

The author has shared various experiences of sharing details of traumatic experiences. It is important to reflect on the narratives of those with living experience to facilitate learning and opportunities to remove any common barriers to disclosure.

This lived experience narrative will support healthcare and allied professionals to reduce any barriers to disclosure so that early intervention may be facilitated. Collaborative learnings and reflection which support professionals and those with lived experience to work together to create meaningful services which support people in recovery and support is important.

This is the unique perspective and experience of the author which is shared to facilitate understanding and the removal of barriers to disclosure.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the many ways in which those who have experienced early life adversity and trauma can continue to be failed within health-care settings and other organisations. The author explores the impact that repeated exposure to indifference and a lack of help and support has on the ability to recover and rebuild a meaningful life. The author takes the reader through a journey of various autoethnographic vignettes to explore the living experience of continuing to be unseen. The author hopes to contribute to improving the lives of service users.

The author has written about the many ways in which distressing experiences and mental health difficulties were left unsupported by various professionals and organisations. The writing is rich and evocative and gives voice to the distress experienced from a lack of caring attention.

The author concludes that whilst it has been painful to remember the varied ways people with lived experience of early life trauma continue to be failed it has also been cathartic and helpful. It is noted that the writing of these events brings some perspective and enables the author to limit the potential for self-blame which is a regular feature of the psychology of those living with early-life relational trauma. The writing of these events serves to highlight the ways institutions might improve responses to those seeking support. The author concludes that this is a meaningful way to use such harmful experiences.

The author concludes that recovery and the ability to rebuild a meaningful life after early-life trauma is often hindered and denied by the responses received when seeking support from various institutions and people who may be able to intervene to prevent further harm occurring. These testimonies may contribute to the wider learnings about the impacts and lived experience of early life trauma and how institutions might support and encourage recovery. The author notes the helpfulness of writing about these experiences to bring perspective and remind those who seek help that it is a great act of courage despite unhelpful responses.

The author has found that writing about these experiences helps to soothe any feelings of self-blame in terms of being unable to recover sooner from early life trauma and that recovery and moving forward must be positioned as a social phenomenon and not a solely individual pursuit. It is noted that writing about difficult experiences can be cathartic and bring fresh perspective and hope. Contributing to ongoing research in terms of how helping professionals can respond wisely is satisfying and meaningful for the author.

This is the author’s firsthand and unique testimony of how easy it can be for survivors of trauma to continue to be unseen and failed. The author also shows that there are many opportunities to support and help which are inadvertently missed which contributes to ongoing distress. The author hopes that the courage taken to write of these experiences will contribute to learnings within many professions and organisations of how to notice, support and help those in distress and living with the effects of early life trauma. The author has found the writing of this paper to be meaningful. The process has helped the author to make sense of previously distressing events. It is hoped it will be of value to the reader.