Layers of Healing: Discovering Purpose in Pain & Trauma

July 17, 2025

Chantaeu Munroe, Author & Faith-Based Trauma-Informed Coach 

Tom O'Connor, Editor & Publisher

Author Chantaeu Munroe works with organizations and individuals to uncover and heal the root causes of emotional block, trauma, and stress. Through dynamic coaching, educational workshops, and immersive experiences, she empowers others to rewrite their narratives and walk boldly into wholeness. 

Her book Layers of Healing: Discovering Purpose in Pain and Trauma offers a raw and relatable journey through trauma, resilience, and divine restoration. She shares her experience with the loss of twins at 8 weeks pregnant through a "missed" miscarriage in 2017. In the book, she also provides an engaging workbook for individuals who are ready to take a step toward healing from their pain, one layer at a time. 

This article guides us through the layers of healing and discovering purpose in the face of pain and trauma.

Chanteau states:

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. It will show up in negative thought patterns, habits, and behaviors until we allow our mind and body to express and experience the healing it needs to proceed to live whole, purpose-driven, and intentional lives.

Trauma-Informed Workspaces

Having dedicated over 9 years of my life to working in the corporate space, I'm on a mission to create trauma-informed workspaces across Jamaica. My goal is to help corporate leaders understand that proper support goes beyond simply offering access to psychological care, especially since many therapists in Jamaica aren't trained in trauma-informed practices. There's a critical difference, and I'm committed to raising awareness and shifting the corporate culture, even if it's one step at a time. This change is not just significant; it's necessary for the healing of our nation.

Trauma and stress in Jamaica are very prevalent; the statistics underscore the critical need for trauma-informed approaches and mental health support systems within Jamaican communities. 

• According to the Jamaican Observer (2024), over 25% of the adult population in Jamaica experiences mental health issues at some point in their lives, with many cases rooted in traumatic childhood events. 

• Between 20% and 30% of adolescents in the English-speaking Caribbean, including Jamaica, experience symptoms of mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. (PMC, 2023)

• An estimated 8 in 10 children in Jamaica experience some form of psychological or physical violence administered as a discipline within the home, contributing to long-term psychological effects. (ScienceDirect,2022)

• Communities plagued by violence often become breeding grounds for mental health issues. For instance, students attending schools in Kingston's inner-city communities have higher rates of PTSD than those in less volatile communities, with up to 15.5% of students affected. (Jamaica Observer, 2024)

• According to Frontiers (2025), the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the Jamaican population is significantly higher among individuals who perceive their neighborhoods as having high levels of disorder (16.42%) compared to those who perceive low levels (8.76%)

People spend nearly one-third of their lives at work, making it crucial that we prioritize the creation of trauma-informed workplaces. When leaders and staff are educated about trauma's impact, they begin to understand the deeper reasons behind certain behaviors, like shutting down when offered a new role or struggling to thrive in a position. Often, it's not a lack of ambition but a nervous system wired to interpret even constructive feedback as a threat.

Have you ever wondered why you react the way you do? Why do you shut down, blow up, or feel numb in moments that shouldn't feel that heavy? It might be more than mood swings or personality quirks. It might be trauma. More specifically, ACEs refer to Adverse Childhood Experiences, the stuff no one talked about, the pain you normalized, the survival you mistook for strength. To learn more about ACEs, visit https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html or https://www.acesmatter.org/

Chantaeu Munroe is a certified trauma-informed and Christian life coach whose passion is to help people transform their lives through holistic healing of the mind and body.

After earning a BA in Marketing and International Business from UTECH Jamaica,

Chantaeu pursued a diploma in psychology from UWI Mona and is now certified in clinical trauma care and trauma-informed coaching.

You can reach Chantaeu at https://www.ckmconsultancyja.com/.

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