Lee Lyttle

“How free do you want to be ?”

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This was one of the first questions I was asked when I first started my healing journey and I continue to reflect on freedom, acceptance, and my spiritual awakening as it unfolds today. I also invite the people who work with me to do the same, in the belief that our freedom guides our quality of life.

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This is easier for some people than it is for others, and those of us who have struggled with trauma in its various forms are all-too-aware of the fragility of life. I share more about this subject in the creative non-fiction memoir of my own healing journey, Wounded Healer. My journey took me from early childhood sexual abuse through a variety of traumas, a life of addictions, and a struggle with mental illness. My memoir shares some of the truths I’ve learned about traumatic experiences and their effects, and through it runs the threads woven by my faithful companion—my imagination—which served my healing through music, art, and the craft of writing.

 

I have studied Social Service work academically and I am registered with the Ontario College of Social Work as a Social Service Worker. I’ve earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Behavioural Sciences, and I worked for 10 years as a therapist for people with traumatic brain injuries. I have also learned various methods of healing through 12-Step support groups, through religious studies, and by seeking insight through various other aspects of spirituality. I currently work in the field of mental health in the northern community where I live,  Attawapiskat First Nation. And I am privileged to be augmenting my perspectives of western mainstream psychology and learning to understand Traditional First Nation Wisdom and practice through the Two-Eyed Seeing philosophy.

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In point of fact, I am no stranger to both the science and the heartbreak of the countless paths to unhappiness, and back to fulfillment, that we have available to us. It is a delicate journey.

 

And I have come to one conclusion: people are imperfect and at times very vulnerable…and that is okay. This doesn't mean we are ill. It means we are human.

 

My unique awareness into creativity and imagination has enabled me to take difficult experiences and push them to their limits, always reaching for a new understanding, a new edge. And I’ve discovered a deep need to heal through art, music, and writing.

 

I believe tremendous healing occurs the minute we share our stories honestly with others who have experienced the same trauma and difficulties we have had in life. Expression of our true identity with others is the greatest medicine we can have. I believe that many worldly problems and internal difficulties can be resolved by sharing our stories—and what have sometimes been painful experiences—in an open, safe space.

 

I  understand the possibilities for survival and hope beyond trauma, and I seek to confirm the of value of persistence with my readers and clients.

 

Wounded Healer is a personal healing memoir. My hope is to share a story of how creativity and imagination, music, and art helped me cope in a positive way through many years of dealing with the impacts of childhood trauma. In addition, my hope is to reach out to other individuals who have experienced childhood trauma, addictions, and mental illness—particularly male survivors of childhood abuse.

 

I invite you to read my book for the healing medicine it contains. And, also, to reach out to me to find out if my service in the world might assist you to come to a greater place of wholeness and peace.