"S" asks
Hi April..
My 18 year old daughter was the victim of a sexual assault last September..She subsequently suffered seizures, was put on TONS of medication.. Clearly over medicated. After numerous tests, meds etc.. There are no answers. My Motherly instincts lead me to believe this is a stress/trauma reaction. I am hoping you can recommend some of your healing herbs, tinctures etc for her. ( Btw.. I am a firm believer in Marijuana. I have a " not curable yet" - I refuse to use the word "incurable" nerve disease. Marijuana (med in NY) has given me my life back after 10 years.. No more pain meds.. I also currently use a few of your products, which have truly aided in my healing journey). She is currently using Marijuana and NOT 1 seizure in months. Thank you for your help... Always️
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Hello dear,
Let me start off by saying how angry I am for your daughter. I know most people say sorry but I am not sorry I am angry and I will hold some of that anger she is likely going through that is manifesting itself in this way.
Trauma is no fucking joke on how it rewires our bodies, we even know now that it rewires our DNA and passes on in ways to many generations to come. That is what blood line trauma is in a nut shell. If her DRs are not making the connection between her trauma and her seizures then it's time to find new ones!
The first thing i want to say is if she is on a benzo medication for her seizures (very common) to please look into the dangers of even short term use and check out the Ashton manual where you can read all about how these drugs basically kill us slowly and they prevent us from healing from our traumas. As well as how to very slowly and safely come off of them But i do hope i am wrong and that they did not throw her on benzoz (think xanax,Klonopin,valium etc) like they so commonly do.
There are some herbals that can help us with our traumas and anxieties. Out of all of them right now I would feel drawn to Motherwort tincture she is like a warm hug in our mothers lap. A safe calm space. She is gentle nervine herbal. Yet does not knock us out. The idea here is to move through our healing calmly versus numbing the feeling. That's how they explode and our bodies react in all sorts of ways seizures for sure being one of them.
But at the same time she needs to allow herself to act out her anger in a constructive manner. She may say that she is not angry but depressed, however most depression in woman is just repressed anger for fucked up situations that made us feel helpless and fall into disparity when we feel unable to act upon our initial anger. There are so many ways she can get this out of her. From taking any sort of fighting classes to feel empowered to writing or just flat out breaking shit. Think office space when the guy smashes the computer with a bat. Break some shit! Yell as loudly as you can, scream and rage. I know as a society women are told to be calm and meek in these situation and to seek quiet counseling but quite frankly this is just for their comfort. Fuck that be angry. Be heard. Let it out so healing can come in.
Also consider supporting the body with super dense optimal nutrition. When we are living with trauma and in a hyper aware state of stress even if we don't realize it our body requires so much more it's mind blowing. I would right away start drinking herbal infusions daily, especially nettle as she greatly supports our adrenals which take a heavy hit from trauma. Then Oat straw as she is gentle at calming our fears, then red clover as she will nourish our sacred ares that have been violated because even if the trauma is a year old we hold much of it in our womb space. You can find an easy video of how to make these on my YouTube channel.
Then add in some healthy animals fats to the diet. Bone broths and grass fed butters. Good fatty grass fed meats and whole milk yogurt. Whole milks and so many cheeses. Lot's of veggies that are cooked very well avoid raw.
If herb is helping her no longer have seizures then it is clearly an important tool here, however in this case be mindful that it may be being used just the same as a benzo or any other drug that helps us withdraw from facing our trauma. Because of this i would suggest making sure she is mainly using high CBD strains if not just pure CBD, it is after all the CBD that prevents seizures. But and i'm just throwing out thoughts as they come. I would not be surprised if the CBD did not keep the seizures away if she is using the THC to mask her trauma and it's the trauma causing the seizures.
Has she joined any kind of in person support groups? They can be really helpful for some to get this anger out and make us feel not so alone.
I really hope some of this is helpful for her on her way through this chapter of life that far to many women have undergone.
Kindest Regards,
April G.