There is a quiet strength in the words “I will not rescue you.”
At first, they can feel sharp—almost dismissive—especially for those of us who have spent a lifetime surviving trauma, addiction, mental illness, or systems that failed to protect us. But when read through a healing lens, these words are not abandonment. They are empowerment.
A Medicine Woman’s Prayer does not deny pain.
It refuses to define us by it.
You Are Not Powerless
So many people who come from trauma—especially childhood trauma, child welfare involvement, domestic violence, or addiction—are conditioned to believe they are broken.
Systems often reinforce this belief by focusing on deficits instead of resilience.
But healing does not begin with being rescued. It begins with remembering that you have always had agency—even when it was stripped from you.
The line “For you are not powerless” speaks directly to those who were silenced, controlled, or made to feel small. Trauma teaches learned helplessness. Healing teaches reclamation.
You Are Not Broken
This may be the hardest truth to accept. When we have been diagnosed, institutionalized, addicted, abused, or repeatedly told we are “too much” or “not enough,” brokenness becomes an identity. But trauma is not a character flaw—it is an injury.
And injuries heal.
“I will not fix you. For you are not broken.” This is a reminder that healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about returning to who you were before the world taught you to disconnect from yourself.
Healing Is Not Done To You
One of the most damaging myths in mental health and recovery spaces is the belief that someone else must save us.
While support is essential—therapy, community, medication, treatment—true healing is participatory.
No one heals for you
The medicine woman does not position herself as the cure. She offers presence. She offers companionship. She offers safety—but not control.
This mirrors trauma-informed practice at its core:
Empowerment. Choice. Collaboration. Trust.
Walking Through the Darkness Together
Healing does not mean avoiding darkness. It means not walking through it alone. “I will walk with you through the darkness, as you remember your light.”
This line reflects what real support looks like—whether in therapy, recovery, parenting, or community work. Not fixing. Not rescuing. Not judging.
Just walking beside someone as they reconnect with their own strength.
This is especially important for those navigating addiction and recovery. Substance use often begins as an attempt to soothe pain, regulate emotions, or survive unbearable circumstances.
Recovery is not about shame—it is about reconnection.
A Reflection from My Own Journey
As someone who has lived this work—not just studied it—I know how tempting it is to wait for someone to save you. I also know how devastating it feels when no one does.
But I have learned this:
The moment I stopped seeing myself as broken, I started healing.
The moment I stopped waiting to be rescued, I started rebuilding.
Not alone—but empowered.
This Is the Work of Rise Above Your Norm
This prayer reflects the foundation of the work I am building—personally and professionally. Healing is not about dependency. It is about sovereignty.
Whether you are surviving mental illness, recovering from addiction, navigating trauma, or rebuilding after loss—your light was never extinguished.
It was waiting for you to remember it.
A Call to Action
If you are reading this and feel unseen, unworthy, or tired of trying to be “fixed,” let this be your reminder:
You are whole—even in your healing.
You are powerful—even in your pain.
And you do not need to be rescued to rise.
You only need someone willing to walk with you until you remember your own light.
—
BigmommaJ
#Healing #Survivor #MentalHealth #Addiction
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