From a Bathtub to a Yoga Mat: Learning to Live with C-PTSD

04.27.2026

From a Bathtub to a Yoga Mat: Learning to Live with C-PTSD

by Hannah

*Trigger Warning - talk of abuse, loss of loved ones, and suicide.*

Hannah shares her story of surviving domestic abuse, the loss of her parents, and severe mental health struggles, and ultimately finding healing through therapy, sobriety, and yoga while rebuilding a safe life for herself and her children.

It was late October. Instead of working on my children’s Halloween costumes or venturing out to a fall festival, I was curled up in an empty bathtub not able to breathe because everything felt so heavy. Nothing felt real anymore. The night before I had received news my dad had passed away. My (now ex-) husband had gotten angry and threw me through a wall. I decided that I no longer wanted to be here either and I would follow my dad out, but the handful of muscle relaxers didn’t work. So here I was and I had two choices, try again to end my life or get out another way. I chose to get out. Six weeks later, I packed up my 4 kids and what we could fit in a U-Haul and moved across the country.

This wasn’t my first time experiencing mental health struggles. Anxiety surfaced in second grade. The awareness of being different became conscious and the need to fit in became all that mattered. It wasn’t until a mental health inpatient stay at 15 that I was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression. ADHD was masked by the fact that I maintained excellent grades and was well liked by my teachers. I had my first child a week after turning 17 and graduated high school 8 months early. I went on to make the choice to get married at 19, which led to experiencing physical, mental, spiritual, financial, and other types of abuse. After 7.5 years, 3 additional children, and 4 attempts to leave; I finally gained our freedom thanks to the support of my extended family. My mother passed away two weeks later.

As many do, I coped with the trauma through avoidance at first. I got remarried, had another child, and it became evident that there was healing needed for myself and my children. The internal dialog was constantly convincing me that I was in danger. I needed to find a way to quiet my mind. My thoughts landed on meditation and I found myself walking into a yoga studio wondering if there might be help there. Not only did I find relief from overthinking, I found a practice that regulated my nervous system, made it feel safe to be inside my body again, and opened up the door to alternative perspectives. I picked up a copy of “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk and learned about the importance of clearing trauma within the body. I made the choice to quit drinking alcohol. I restarted therapy, was diagnosed with C-PTSD, and began a variety of treatments including EMDR.

I’ve been active in therapy for 3 years now, as have my children. EMDR has been incredibly helpful in reprocessing trauma and altering the beliefs that I have held due to those experiences. I am coming up on 3 years alcohol-free. I am now a 200 HR Registered Yoga Teacher and my passion is creating a space for those with PTSD, C-PTSD, and other mental health conditions to feel safe in their body again.

Incorporating yoga, therapy, and having a supportive partner has been life changing for me. I still have my good and bad days. I take medication for my ADHD. I still experience things and situations that bring up big feelings. Self-care can still be challenging. I just have better tools now.

I chose to share my story with ADAA because the stigma around mental health keeps too many people silent, and silence almost cost me my life. I want people to know that leaving is possible, that yoga can be a powerful tool for trauma, and that asking for help is not weakness. Life isn't perfect. It's never going to be. But we only get to live this lifetime once, and I'd rather spend it healing than hiding.

I am safe. I am loved. I am deserving of love and so are you. You are not alone.