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My name is Wendy Patrice Williams, and I am glad you found my blog. I am eager to share with you what I’ve learned about trauma, especially pre-verbal infant trauma such as infant surgery trauma and infant trauma inflicted by medically-invasive procedures; post-traumatic stress; and tools that you can use to heal yourself. On this site, you’ll find over ten years of blog posts (300 plus!) about my experiences coping with and healing from preverbal infant trauma without anesthesia or pain control. Some of my posts contain my artwork. On this blog, you’ll also find book reviews, synopses of articles about trauma, and references to resources and websites that you can use to educate yourself.

My difficulties began early on at twenty-six days old. I had a life-threatening condition, which required a major stomach surgery, and was given a paralytic drug, not anesthesia or pain control. I recovered but was left with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trouble is, I didn’t know that I had PTSD until I was fifty years old! My life up until age twenty-six, when I began to work with a wonderful therapist, was a real roller coaster: major ups, such as earning honor roll grades in high school, participating in sports, and attending an Ivy League college, and many downs, such as self-harming, depression, addictions, anger issues, panic attacks, psychiatric hospitalization, and more. Back in the ’70s, even my therapist didn’t have a name for what I was suffering from. That’s why I’m eager to share what I’ve learned with you so that maybe you will find some relief from suffering and/or be able to help someone else.

Many of us have had invasive medical procedures as infants and may not remember consciously the effects they’ve had on us. But guaranteed, our body remembers. Our emotions, our breath, our sensations, such as sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and touches, have registered the trauma. Our dreams may be repositories for the wounding. Traditional talking therapies often don’t tap into these early wounds and require more body-based approaches. Artwork and writing are other strategies that can tap into early trauma. I hope that you find some hope, understanding, and/or inspiration from what I’ve shared on HealingInfantTrauma.org. I find a great sense of purpose in sharing what I know about healing infant surgery trauma and other types of early medical trauma.

Again, welcome! I am eager to connect with you.

Above is a pic of horseshoe crabs, creatures who helped me heal. They also inspired my memoir story, Autobiography of a Sea Creature: Healing the Trauma of Infant Surgery, which is published by the University of California Health Humanities Press. Here’s a link to buy it or download it.

NOTE: The content on this site is for educational and informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical and mental health advice. I am not a therapist and speak only about how I healed, and continue to heal, my own trauma. Please do seek professional medical and/or mental health treatment or advice when needed.