Adverse Childhood Experiences and the path towards healing. You are not alone.
I share my trials, my victories, and my stories with you in hopes that if any of you were ever touched by childhood abuse or neglect, as I was, you will see yourselves in my experiences and feel strengthened to voice what you had not been able to before. I hope we can learn together why we respond to life through a particular lens, and that there are ways to climb out of this prison of pain, silence, and shame.
My name is Bess Hilpert

Category: Newsletters

Forgiveness Through Grace

Releasing the All-Consuming Pain of the Past… Reflecting on those who hurt me, I recognized that the ability to forgive came in waves. I believe grace interceded in the forgiving of my father, as I will share with you this week. Forgiveness of those that sexually abused me throughout my life came with time and… Continue reading Forgiveness Through Grace

Remembrance and Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not Forgetting or Walking Away… This weekend marks the traditional opening of Summer across the United States. The long winter gives way to fun outdoors, vacations, cookouts and gatherings of families and friends. The long Memorial Day Weekend also brings sober reminders of sacrifice, friends and comrades lost, and what freedom means to… Continue reading Remembrance and Forgiveness

Iceapocalypse

Resilience, Bravery and Rebirth… I live in Texas. This past winter we experienced what we refer to as an “Iceapocalypse.” A terrible weather event that, in our area alone, saw 10.5 million trees damaged and 31% of our total canopy affected. Walking precipitously throughout our neighborhood once the four-day ice storm passed, we felt we… Continue reading Iceapocalypse

My Mother

I love you, Mom. Thank you! … Throughout my life, the hand that always reached back making me feel safest was my mother. Always and forever, my mother. I share a story of one of my earliest memories in my book finding I in which my mother was my hero: “I have an early memory… Continue reading My Mother

Impostor Syndrome

Have You ever Experienced that Desperate Loss of Self? … I read this quote recently by, shame researcher and author, Brene Brown: “Every single day, our feelings show up in our bodies, they’re shaped by where we come from and how we were raised, they drive how we show up, and each feeling has its own… Continue reading Impostor Syndrome

Friends, Connection

See the Person your Friends see in you… This past week, I have been thinking about connection. About how important connection is and the gift of long-lasting connection. This past weekend was my fiftieth high school reunion. Can you imagine? Where I could not attend in person, I was blessed with connection to some of… Continue reading Friends, Connection

Breaking Through

Disconnection and Connection… I have been thinking about how these trauma wounds show up in our lives and can cause an internal multi car pile-up on a foggy day. Last week I wrote: “When we are stuck in a trauma wound that has us reacting to the world or those around us from a hypervigilant… Continue reading Breaking Through

Seeds For Growth

Trusting, Surrendering, and Cracking Open… “We do not always have to hold onto the ideology that our brokenness defines who we are. That it has the final say.  To fully surrender ourselves to healing we need to go on an extended journey, a trust walk, a gradual letting go, unlearning, and handing over. Experience an… Continue reading Seeds For Growth