sanctuary
love. loss. growth. and the art of becoming.
01. about this issue — brianne patrice
when we release our trauma identity we are giving into the unknown. we allow ourselves to be more open and less triggered possessing the capability to self-soothe and self-advocate. we become more aware of our needs and the boundaries that we need to create.
editor’s note: you are your own healing tool — kristen jeré
for too long the language around revitalization has often made a lot of us look to products and other expensive self-care “tools” as the guiding foundation of our healing journeys.
healing through the five senses — brianne patrice
our senses are almost always with us and the whole of us possess such power that allows us to tap into them almost instantaneously, connecting us to their healing powers and calming waters. there is a likeness about the way we are allowed to heal ourselves from the inside out. about offering ourselves groundedness through gentle movements and subtle breaths.
survival mode, sensuality, and regaining control — brianne patrice
by definition survival mode is an adaptive response of the human body to help us survive danger and stress. so many of us are all to familiar with this trauma response as we have learned to go through the motions of life, doing what we need to do just so we can ‘get by’. survival mode is when our flight-or-fight response is activated and living in this state of being can exist for days, weeks, months and even years at a time.
embracing joy through queerplatonic intimacy — kevanté ac cash
my chosen family has taught me that this joy i longed to experience through them and communing, was buried deep in my soul, and i had to do the work to uncover it, to heal the wounds that layered on top of it, and like a hand waiting at the bottom of the well to be pulled up, salvaged. they have taught me that my joy had to be salvaged, and then, at all costs, and by any means necessary, protected. even if that protection comes at the cost of upsetting biological family.
celibacy was a radical destination in my healing journey— but far from the last stop — kristen jeré
three years later, i’m glad that i’ve been able to experience romantic relationships where i can be vulnerable and heal with partners. it’s not perfect, and after experiencing something as deeply traumatic and personal as rape, i realize that it’s never going to be.
a radical proclamation: you are indeed, worthy — kamil arrington
historically, those who identify as both black and a woman have had to carry not only their burdens, but the burden of those around them. the burden of being viewed as less significant although the world itself was birthed from our womb. the burden of being torn from our own homes in exchange for a place that’s both unfamiliar and dangerous.
acknowledging your body as a home for love — mariah hicks
i know that i can never be too much woman or hold too much trauma that marks me undeserving of the wholeness of love. i know that the duality between my darkness and my light is special, that both my evenings and my mornings make me who i am. and that is a beautiful, glorious, and wondrous woman.
hurting. honing. and healing through relationship PTSD — doriana diaz
i neglect to rely on those who cannot assure me they are capable of staying, which in turn restricts me from expressing vulnerability with passers-by. i learned not long ago that i have been existing like this for the entirety of my life, simply to prevent myself from grieving another lost love.
realigning through pleasure, masturbation and self-exploration with jimanekia eborn — interview by brianne patrice
i didn’t think about it then but its been circling my mind how so many events have compromised my relationship to myself, my mind and my body. how growing up in a christian household prepared me for marriage before it prepared me for womanhood. how sexual violence contributed to me objectifying myself adding to my hyper-sexuality and this need to attach my confidence, my worth and my value to the number of men who wanted me instead of learning and knowing what it meant to love and want myself.