Maria is a warrior in her own right. She has spent her life pursuing the meaning behind the madness of her abuse. She bravely examined her traumatic past and soon discovered so much more below the surface of her childhood pain. Maria’s relentless pursuit of finding who she was meant to be led her on a soul-searching quest to understand why the abuse happened and how to change her destiny.
Her book identifies the profound generational dysfunction that has plagued her family for centuries.
She delivers a raw account of her pain and how she survived a fear-filled childhood. Maria reveals how her intentional mindset ultimately led to her transcendence as discovers the purpose of her pain. Through her revelations, she examines the interwoven threads between her family’s ideologies, the brokenness trapped in the silence, and her abuse. Her insatiable appetite for understanding pointed Maria toward researching if trauma is subconsciously a brain-body experience. As a result of her experiences and findings, she creates awareness through speaking engagements, addressing community members, and advocating for parents to help their children.
Maria has an innate strength to break generational curses. She shares her story to empower herself and others to take responsibility for one’s own healing. It’s been a difficult path for Maria; however, she continues this journey for herself and all women and girls who have experienced the horrors of sexual trauma.
Maria’s torture of the little lost child she had been was lying beneath the surface of sanity. Memories that were too painful to recall and yet unable to bury so deep as to forget forever.Maria’s journey is a reckoning between the terror and haunting of her past and her pathway to healing. It required her to unveil and expose the dreadful truths (the fire in her soul), eventually navigate to recovery, and find her final place of one’s best self.
In her memoir, Maria discusses the atrocities of her upbringing and how she subconsciously allowed its effects to dictate her life. After a horrific nightmare exposes the reality of what happened, she is forced to face the painful truth of her past. The resurrected traumas took Maria down into a place where she had to confront her past and grieve for her 10-year-old self.
As she shares her story, Maria delves deep into the raw, honest, and thought-provoking revelations as she comes to terms with her abusers and the complicity of other family members. Maria also documents her transformation from the weak and helpless child she once was to become the strong, empowering woman she is today.
Hungry to figure out the tragedies she endured, Maria digs through the motives of her family and unearths the family’s inter-generational dysfunction, pain, secrets, and traumas and vows to break the chain of bondage from the past ideologies of her ancestors. Through this eye-opening revelation, Maria realizes she is the chain breaker chosen to destroy the toxic curses that have plagued her generations. She examines not only her pain and sorry but the tragedies in her mother’s life as well. On a mission to change the direction of her children, Maria paves the way to leave her family with a legacy of empowerment, faith, and courage.
To this day, Maria speaks out against childhood abuse, shares how to recognize the signs, and empowers other survivors to find their voices. She also mentors at-risk youth to succeed and instills a sense of pride and self-worth in those still fighting to find their way.
In printing her story, Maria wants to start a revolution that offers inspiration and empowerment to others in finding their authentic selves and reach their full potential.
It’s time to place other people’s opinions and judgments in the trash where it belongs. Receive their love and acceptance?
Around 2:00 a.m., on July 16th, 2016, I was jolted awake with my heart pounding. I had another night of terror, but this one was different from all the horrible nightmares I had in the past. I suddenly felt like that horrified, little girl again, trapped in the fear of my past. Sheer terror coursed through my veins. My body trembled from the overload of emotions. I broke out in a cold sweat. The panic and tremendous anxiety pumped me full of adrenalin and was flung myself out of bed.What was happening? The fear and confusion flooded my head–that little girl had returned. Within a split second, my mind switched. I thought I was my mother. I remember looking for myself, “Where is she?” I anxiously wondered. Panicked, I ran through the house to find that little girl. I became so confused as my thoughts switched back and forth. I was frantically looking for my stepdad, “Where is he?” I ran through my home desperately looking for my younger self. Waking up from such a night terror left me disoriented and I was in between the present and the past.
ExcellentBased on 3 reviewsA. HernandezStory of Resilience Cruz bravely shares her story and how she has overcome complex trauma. Excellent writing and review of resources. Couldn't put it down.Andrew MerrillA well written compelling story that flows smoothly and helps the reader identify Excellently crafted storytelling that sometimes reads as a biography of the author and sometimes more as a psychology textbook. The value of this book in my opinion is that many others in this category don't try (or accomplish) to have the reader be introspective of their own path as they follow Ms. Cruz's journey. This is an absolute must read for both childhood trauma suffers and those that spend time trying to understand it.Cindy P.great source for helping to heal from child abuse Excellent read and provides insight to understanding types of abuse and healing from them.
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