Tag Archives: children

Accountability. Healing. Hope.I cannot stay silent.I have not stayed silent.As a mother, licensed Special Educator, and therapist.My cries for help were ignored.The adults knew.My bones were broken and ignored.Nothing happened.I am forever changed.When powerful men harm children and women, and are not held accountable, the damage does not end with the abuse. It imprints on the nervous system. It alters brain development. It shifts immune functioning. It changes the trajectory of a life.This is not emotional exaggeration.It is neuroscience.It is longitudinal public health research.The Adverse Childhood Experiences research shows that early abuse is strongly associated with increased depression, addiction, autoimmune disease, heart disease, and shortened lifespan. Four or more adverse experiences significantly raise the risk of chronic illness in adulthood.CDC ACEs Research:https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.htmlNeuroscience confirms that prolonged childhood trauma heightens the amygdala’s threat response, disrupts hippocampal processing, and can impair prefrontal regulation. Chronic exposure to stress hormones like cortisol increases inflammation and keeps the body in survival mode.National Child Traumatic Stress Network:https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-traumaThis is why accountability is not optional.It is not political theater.It is nervous system justice.It is public health protection.When systems protect power instead of children, they retraumatize survivors. When men who commit horrific crimes are shielded by influence or wealth, the message to every survivor is clear: your pain does not matter.That must end.Accountability is not revenge.It is restoration of safety.It is protection for the next child.It is a cultural line in the sand.I am forever changed.And I am not powerless.Neither are We.Healing is real. The brain has neuroplasticity. The nervous system can regulate. Trauma can be integrated. Survivors can thrive. I see it in my clinical work. I live it in my own life.But healing does not replace justice.We can hold both:Compassion for survivors.Consequences for perpetrators.We can build trauma-informed systems in our schools, courts, and communities.We can demand transparency.We can believe survivors.We can stop protecting abusers because they are powerful, connected, or convenient.Collective ActionIf you feel called to act:• Contact your state and federal representatives and demand stronger enforcement of child protection laws and transparency in cases involving abuse.• Support survivor advocacy organizations such as RAINN or local sexual assault crisis centers.• Advocate for trauma-informed training in schools, law enforcement, and judicial systems.• Vote with children’s safety in mind.• Refuse to normalize silence when harm is exposed.Change happens when citizens refuse complicity.Intergenerational HealingWhen we hold perpetrators accountable, we are not only protecting today’s children. We are interrupting cycles of trauma that echo across generations.Unaddressed abuse does not disappear. It transmits through nervous systems, parenting patterns, attachment styles, and health outcomes. When we choose truth, accountability, and trauma-informed systems, we change the trajectory for children we may never meet.That is generational healing.I cannot stay silent.I have not stayed silent.And I will continue to stand for every woman and child whose body was violated and whose voice was dismissed.Accountability.Healing.Hope.All three are possible.Shajen Joy Aziz, M.Ed., M.A.Licensed Special Educator and Therapist

We can hold both:Compassion for survivors.Consequences for perpetrators.

Ode to Fonda Joy – My Mom

An Ode to My Mother, Fonda Joy 🤍You left me with a love for this Earth.A knowing of how to live simply and with grace.An understanding that everything is connected.You taught me about health and wellness.About food, how it can be medicine or poison.About tending the body the way one tends the land,with care, intention,Continue reading “Ode to Fonda Joy – My Mom”

Grow – Please – USA

USA, it is time to honor women and children. The best way to begin is equal rights. Equal rights are the foundation of our democracy and we must continue to expand and embrace all of humanity as equal citizens sharing the earth, and her resources.

Focus Your Energy There

I have discovered that we can look at our lives as the journey of learning our gifts and how to share them. Artists, musicians, chefs, athletes, writers, teachers, scientists, etc., are beautiful examples of ways to share your innate talents. The more we focus our energies there – the better we feel. As we evolve,Continue reading “Focus Your Energy There”

Pause for a moment …

Starting the process (Meditation) Pause and become present in your presence. Please take a deep breath, breathe in gratitude, and allow it to permeate every cell of your being. As you release your breath, breathe out any negative emotions or thoughts you have been holding that no longer serve you. With your next breath, breatheContinue reading “Pause for a moment …”

The Chasm of Pause

The chasm of pause before one takes back their power can feel deep, broad, and never-ending. Yet – the moment it happens, peace prevails, and that who you unquestionably are shines through your being. Honor yourself and others with compassionate communication. We are all a work in progress, and the more we practice, the moreContinue reading “The Chasm of Pause”

Set Intentions not Resolutions

As life has changed for the globe, and we are entering a new year filled with unknowns, now is the perfect time to understand sovereignty in a new way. Your ability to govern your thoughts, choices, and actions. Uncomfortable and filled with unknowns, we have all learned to be with our new normal. Moving forward,Continue reading “Set Intentions not Resolutions”

Timeless Wisdom from my Mom

Happy Solstice “We are honoring the light,” she would tell us, and “today we celebrate its return.” Happy Solstice! My mother, Fonda Joy, was a trailblazer, a woman before her time. Knowing the importance of earth medicine, she taught us to understand our surroundings well and recognize the magic within us and all around us.Continue reading “Timeless Wisdom from my Mom”

Positive Experiences Re-wire

Those who experienced extreme trauma at a young age have different ways of managing life. Emotional damage re-wires the brain; this means healing does too. If you know someone like this, honor their tender souls and engage in gentle, positive experiences which help to re-wire internal thoughts and feelings to a more accurate reflection ofContinue reading “Positive Experiences Re-wire”

How to begin meditation

First ~ Congratulations on taking a step in favor of your well-being. With a candle and lighter or a relaxing image to focus on, a crystal or your favorite small object, along with your journal, and a nourishing drink like water/tea/lemonade… Find a comfortable place, set up your space, light your candle or set upContinue reading “How to begin meditation”