Trauma is not merely an event that fades with time; it etches itself into the very fabric of our being, demanding acknowledgment and resolution. Though my experience happened in 2017, it took me four years to give the pain the acceptance and acknowledgment it needed. I got a text from someone wishing me "Happy Mother's Day," and it broke me four years later. It was at that point that I realized that our body keeps the score of every experience we go through.

The Role of Inner Child Healing in Overcoming Adult-Child Syndrome explores the importance of reconnecting with the inner child to address Adult-Child Syndrome (ACS).Stephanie Watterson is our author. Stephanie grew up in a home affected by mental illness, with a mother who struggled with mental health issues and an emotionally unavailable workaholic father.

Kirsten Rabuck collaborates with me as a co-author for this issue. She is a substance abuse counselor and an adult child of an alcoholic father, just like me. Together, we draw on our experiences as adult children to help others facing similar challenges.

In Part I of The Power Of Recovery, Chad shared how his addiction began and what changed his life.  In Part II, Chad will share details about his present life and ongoing recovery. His wife, Christy, will share her life story and the factors that brought them together. 

I am truly privileged to have Joudy Ghata as my co-author for this issue. She bravely surmounted devastating family trauma.

Mental illness symptoms, such as the Adult Children of Alcoholics, can affect emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Mental illnesses are nothin