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Both emotional and physical trauma can feel like barely surviving a fire. Harmful words, actions, or events can invisibly burn down one’s sense of safety, stability and trust. I wrote this poem in 2015 when I learned that a friend of mine, had a traumatic experience with a literal fire. I tried to put myself in her shoes, imagining how she might feel, writing the poem as if she were the author. When I gave it to my friend, she saidshe definitely identified with the emotions expressed.

She and her husband had purchased property and over many months had built their “dream house” on it. It was 98% completed and they had begun transferring some of their belongings. Several days before the movers were scheduled to come, a short in the garage door mechanism caused a fire in the new house. It spread quickly, since the house was unoccupied and no one reported it. The entire house burned down! A loved cat was lost. It was obviously crushing. She tried to be positive. No people were hurt. It could have been much worse if the fire had occurred at night after they had moved in.Nevertheless, it can take years to feel healed after trauma.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “trauma”? Do you think of someone who has been injured in an auto accident or who has survived a natural disaster? Or, do you think of someone who has experienced a crushing disappointment or some other kind of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse? All of these experiences will be traumatic for survivors. Whenever possible, seeing a therapist regularly after experiencing trauma is always a good idea.