Each of us has a different definition of home. Many people think of home as somewhere or someone with whom they can be fully themselves, like with partners, friends, or family members like Grandma and Grandpa. However, home can also be tied to one’s past, present, and/or future. My concept of home is multi-faceted and […]
Author: Dr. Donna Bulatowicz
My Goodbye Letter: Moving Away from Montana with Gratitude
Goodbyes are painful, especially when one is moving away from friends and family. I’m leaving my wonderful home state of Montana and transitioning to a new life across the country. In my healing journey, I’ve written many unsent letters to the abuser and her enablers. Lately, I’ve been focusing those letters on expressing not just […]
Chasing Childhood Dreams: One Woman’s Delayed Journey of Joy
Some childhood dreams reside within us until we realize them, while others fade away as life happens. I was quite the dreamer as a child (and still am). My parents helped fulfill some dreams in my younger years. For example, I joined Girl Scouts for several years in elementary school, and I began flute lessons […]
A Scenic Road to Self-Healing: Embracing Nature & Inner Strength
Trigger warning: This story mentions the author’s sexual abuse as a child. Do we really have the ability to self-heal? What does self-healing look like? The process is different for everyone, and it may come in a form you don’t expect. Before me lay an alpine meadow along the Beartooth Pass on the border of […]
Rediscovering My Strength Through Healing in Community
Trigger Warning: This story references childhood sexual assault. When someone with more social capital and other power than me caused immense harm, I hoped that my community would help me heal. Although it took decades to occur, I am currently part of various healing communities and have support from so many loved ones on my […]
Rediscovering Life After COVID: One Woman’s Journey
Written by: Donna Bulatowicz Life after COVID-19 feels drastically different from life before COVID-19. I can no longer do so much that I once took for granted, and my body doesn’t function as well as it used to. I have more health challenges, and research has yet to catch up on how to treat this […]
The Stories We Tell Ourselves Wield Astounding Power In Our Life
Trigger Warning: This story addresses childhood sexual abuse. Stories profoundly influence us, including the stories we tell ourselves. They shape our thoughts, actions, and world. As we go through our days, we construct narratives about our interactions, what we see on the news, and about ourselves. We tell tales about our past, present, and imagined […]
Books as Mirrors, Windows, & Sliding Glass Doors Inspired Healing
Trigger warning: This story references sexual abuse as a child. I was unaware of the concept of books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors until I was in my Master of Education program. Understanding the idea that we need to see ourselves represented in literature helped me view my childhood and young adult life […]
A Single Story Narrative Protected The Woman Who Molested Me
Mrs. Smith is a pseudonym. “A woman wouldn’t molest a girl,” the officer scoffed, tossing down his pad and pen. “And Mrs. Smith? She’s married. Has a husband and sons. Why are you making up these accusations?” He believed the single story of who a predator is. I stared at the officer in disbelief. Once […]