Trauma doesn’t just wound us emotionally; it reshapes who we believe ourselves to be. But your identity can be reclaimed.

In my work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I’ve supported thousands of people navigating trauma, loss, and mental health challenges. But nothing prepared me for the identity crisis that followed the deaths of three of my children, Johnny, Reggie, and Miah. Each loss shattered something in me, not just emotionally, but existentially. I didn’t just lose my children; I lost my sense of self.

I was a mother, a wife, a caregiver, a clinician, a professional. But who was I now? Was I even a mother anymore?

That question haunted me, and I’ve since learned it haunts many others, too. After trauma, grief, illness, or a major life change, it’s not uncommon to find yourself looking in the mirror and asking: Who am I without that person? Without that role? Without the life I thought I’d have?

And here’s what I’ve come to understand, both personally and professionally: Rebuilding identity is not separate from healing—it is part of........

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