Once, a Fairy Helped You Survive Your Trauma

There’s a story I carry with me.
It’s not something I learned from a textbook, but a kind of truth that speaks to the heart.

It goes like this:

A little girl, around seven years old, hides trembling in a closet after being hit by her drunken father. She closes her eyes and whispers, “Please help me. I can’t take this anymore.”

And then—a fairy appears.

The girl tells her everything: that her father hurts her, that her mother doesn’t stop him, that she feels utterly alone.

The fairy gently says:

“I can’t make these things go away. But I can help you survive them.
I’ll help you forget—for now.”

“I’ll take these feelings—fear, grief, rage—and place them gently into different parts of your body: your throat, your chest, your stomach. They’ll stay hidden there, like seeds in the soil, waiting for the right season.”

“To help you get through, I’ll make you numb. I’ll help you tune out your needs. You may struggle to connect with others. You might turn to ways of coping that others don’t understand. But it’s okay. These are your ways of surviving. They’ll help you make it through.”

“And one day, when you’re stronger, you’ll start to feel again. A small voice will call you back to yourself. Slowly, the memories will return—not just what happened, but how it felt. And when that day comes, you won’t be alone anymore. You’ll have your courage, your compassion, and people who truly care. That will be enough.”

The fairy tucks the little girl into bed.
As she drifts off to sleep, the fairy whispers:

“When you wake up, you’ll forget all of this—even me.
But remember: you were never too much. You were never wrong.
You were just a child who deserved love.
And one day, you’ll remember who you really are.”

Dissociation Is Protection, Not Failure

Many people grow up feeling numb, disconnected, or out of touch with their emotions. They say things like:

“I don’t know what I feel.”
“Nothing really gets to me.”
“I’m just going through the motions.”

This is not a flaw in you.
It’s a brilliant survival strategy—what therapists call dissociation.

When something was too painful to feel, and no safe adult was there to help, your system found a way to keep going: by disconnecting from what hurt too much.

Your body held the pain.
Your emotions froze.
Your self split apart—not to destroy you, but to protect you.

Remembering Means You’re Ready

So if, one day, certain memories begin to surface, or emotions you don’t understand start to stir inside you—please don’t panic.

You are not breaking.
You are healing.

The fairy didn’t lie to you. She kept her promise.
She’s returning what was once too heavy to carry—now that you’re strong enough to hold it.

Coming Home to Yourself

Healing is not about forcing yourself to feel.
It’s about creating safety, slowly, until the feelings can emerge on their own.

It’s about trusting the deep intelligence inside you that protected you when you needed it most—and trusting that same intelligence to guide you back.

You are not lost.
You are not broken.
You are on your way home.

And you don’t have to walk that path alone.