Trauma Trounced Tranquility Triumphant

A self-empowerment book for trauma survivors.

Severely traumatised throughout my youth from the age of four and then sporadically during my adult life, I became a dysfunctional, angry, self-centred and distrustful man. One day when I was fifty (far too late in life but better late than never) something utterly devastating occurred, as did something which inspired great hope. Horrified by the first and inspired by the second, I set out on a journey of self-discovery and self-development.

Although I was grateful just to have survived my traumas, survival is not enough. The purpose of life is not merely to survive but to be happy. This is a lesson that horses have taught me. Largely on my own but with the help of these creatures and a few human friends, acquaintances and mentors, I have managed not only to survive my own traumas but also to heal myself, recover my humanity and find joy within myself.

Joy has given me the strength to withstand new traumas, such as the breakdown of my marriage later in life, which marked the end of a relationship of thirty-eight years, the loss of friends of twenty to forty years standing, my animals and the bulk of my possessions. Joy has also enabled me to resurrect my first love after a period of separation of forty-four years. Without joy, this would not have been possible.

My story, how I have found tranquillity and what I have learned along the way, I am sharing with anyone who cares to know. If just one trauma sufferer is helped by this, it will be enough to justify the effort.
Told by a trauma survivor for fellow survivors who are not content just to survive.