This first episode of Creative Trauma Recovery is dedicated to the two paramedics and the patient who recently lost their lives here in New Brunswick.

Some tragedies leave us without words. We pause to remember them and to hold close their families, friends, colleagues, fellow first responders, and the communities carrying the weight of this heartbreaking loss.

Have you been trying to hold everything together, care for everyone around you, and stay in control, only to find yourself exhausted, overwhelmed, or far from God?

For many helpers, letting go can feel frightening. Trauma may have taught us that staying alert, being responsible, and keeping everything under control were necessary for survival. Those patterns may have helped us through painful seasons, but carrying that level of responsibility for too long can contribute to burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and spiritual exhaustion.

In this first episode, I share part of my own story. At my first Al-Anon meeting, the words of the Serenity Prayer deeply affected me. My marriage had fallen apart, my life felt out of control, and I walked into the washroom and cried out to God, “Please help me. I have messed everything up. I cannot do this, and I need You to be in control.”

That honest prayer became the beginning of a different way of living and healing.

I also share how I placed sticky notes around my apartment that said, “Let go. Let God.” I needed to see those words when I woke up in the morning and before I went to sleep at night. I needed the reminder that I did not have to carry everything alone.

In this episode, we explore the connection between trauma and the need for control, why helpers often feel responsible for everyone and everything, and what twelve-step programs can teach us about surrendering what has become unmanageable.

Letting go does not mean giving up, ignoring our responsibilities, or pretending that painful things do not matter. It means learning what belongs to us, what does not, and where we need to stop relying only on our own strength.

You will also be invited to gently notice one area of your life that you may be trying to control and take a small step toward placing it in God’s hands.

Whether your faith feels strong today, you have questions, or you are simply searching for hope, you are welcome here.

Healing does not require you to have everything figured out. Sometimes healing begins with an honest prayer:

“God, I cannot carry this alone. Please help me let go and allow You to lead me.”

Can you look back over your life and see where you became the strong one, the helper, the fixer, the one everyone depended on?

Do you love helping people, but realize the work you do is leaving you exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself, friends, or family?

Do you know all the things you should do, but find yourself stuck when it comes to doing them?

If those questions stirred something up in you, the story of your exhaustion may have begun long before you put on a uniform, earned a degree, or accepted the responsibility of caring for others. For many of us, becoming the helper didn't begin as a career choice; it began much earlier. It may have begun in childhood. Many of us learned very early that being helpful, being strong, or being needed somehow felt safer and sometimes even felt like the way to earn acceptance and love.

So of course you became a fixer. Someone who helps people when they need support physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Maybe you became a therapist, a first responder, a frontline crisis worker, a nurse, an ER doctor, a school counsellor, a social worker, or a pastor. You knew you wanted to help people who were in pain, so you packed up your own pain and carried it into your new career. And now those boxes are piling up!

Now the work you once loved is starting to feel heavy. Maybe you find yourself thinking, “I love my job, but I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

You are tired! And not just tired. You are “if I slept for a week, I’d still be tired” kind of tired.

Even simple things are feeling hard.

You can’t even make yourself do the things you used to enjoy. And now the people closest to you are feeling it too. They see a difference in you.

And maybe you have already hit rock bottom and left your career, but you still haven’t found the peace you were looking for.

Maybe you pray, but you’re not hearing any answers. You may even call out to God in desperation, but His voice feels distant.

Friend, if any of that sounds familiar, I am so glad you are here.

Welcome to Creative Trauma Healing.

I’m Shelley Mountain-Collette, a Christian trauma therapist, strategic intervention coach, educator, wife, girl mom, lifelong learner, and fellow traveler on this healing journey. My passion for trauma healing is not just professional. It is deeply personal.

I entered this world a few years after both of my parents experienced traumatic losses as teenagers. My parents are awesome people who taught me grit and how to push through pain, but we didn’t really know how to heal from the fear of loss.

I know what it is like to live with fear in your body, to long for peace, and to love God while still feeling overwhelmed and far from Him, and even far from myself. I also know what it is like to pack up your boxes of pain and move on from a career you love because you can no longer hold the heaviness.

I have lived through burnout, compassion fatigue, and trauma. That is why I created this podcast: to help professionals, trauma survivors, wounded healers, hurting helpers, and anyone tired of merely surviving and ready to begin healing.

My heart is to help you find yourself again, to remember what joy feels like, to dream dreams again, and to find peace in your mind, your body, your soul, and your spirit.

Here, I will share creative ways to heal without having to relive every painful moment from the past. Healing can be gentle, and even enjoyable at times. We may feel all the feels, but we will do it together. With God’s guidance, we will take this journey one step at a time.

Each week, we will explore creative, holistic, evidence-based, and faith-based ways to support healing. We will look at how God beautifully designed us with the capacity to heal.

This is a space to breathe, reflect, reconnect with God, and begin healing in a way that honors your whole self.

So grab a notebook and your favorite caffeinated beverage, and let’s get creative about healing.

This podcast is for education, encouragement, faith building, and personal growth. It is not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Please reach out to a doctor, therapist, or qualified professional in your area if you need support.