'I never thought I'd overcome my trauma. EMDR changed my life.'
+ Have you seen DVF at Target?!
I never thought I’d overcome my childhood abuse and trauma. Then I tried EMDR therapy as an adult and everything changed.
Trauma knows no bounds; it can happen to anyone at any time and any place. Unfortunately, traumatic events can have lasting effects long after the actual event and can alter your life for many years to come.
As someone who is clinically diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or CPTSD, I have firsthand knowledge of this. You might be familiar with PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it has been depicted in movies, books, and widely discussed on social media. CPTSD, on the other hand, is a relatively new term coined in 1992 to describe people who have experienced repeated trauma over a long period. Survivors of CPTSD often struggle with many of the symptoms of PTSD survivors but can experience even more complex triggers and emotions.
I am a survivor of CPTSD, and I experienced prolonged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at the hands of my sister’s father from ages 11 to 16. Until I was 22, this was my shameful secret that I was afraid to acknowledge. I refused therapy for most of my twenties and thirties due to the fact I thought I could disassociate and block out all the bad but found that ignoring the problem never makes it go away. It was not until a run-in with the law and a DWI that I decided it was time to talk to someone. That was when I discovered a newer type of therapy called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).
“It was not until a run-in with the law and a DWI that I decided it was time to talk to someone.”
Living with untreated childhood trauma
After the abuse stopped (when my abuser moved out of our home), I thought maybe I’d be OK. I was merely 17 and a senior in high school, so I really had no idea what was to come or how the prolonged and repeated trauma might affect me. I graduated high school and went to college but struggled. There, I dealt with deep depression and turned to alcohol, recreational drug use, and promiscuity to numb my pain. I refused to think about my childhood or deal — on any level — with what had happened to me.
Meet Karen Poirier, founder of Embrago
The Full Support Fashion advocate believes bra-free does not have to mean unsupported
I’m in my mid 50s and proud to be a boomerang Pittsburgher. Born and raised in the Steel City, I moved east for college and career, then came back years later with my husband and children. I love the authentic friendliness, humor, humility, and grit of my hometown. (I’m not alone. It’s such a predictable pattern that it has earned natives like me the “boomerang” label!)
After a 30-year career in marketing, raising two children, and losing four parents (my own and my in-laws) — plus going through a gut-wrenching, identity-shifting menopausal metamorphosis — I found my true calling as an inventor, designer, and midlife evangelist by founding a new clothing brand, Embrago (em-BRA-go).
At Embrago, I design clothing with compassion for curves by re-imagining bust support for midlife and fuller-busted bodies. My patented line of Full Support Fashion eliminates the need for bras or shapewear by integrating body support directly into the seams of the clothing. This new concept — that bra-free does not have to mean unsupported — empowers women with new choices so they can live happier and healthier lives throughout peri-/post-/menopause.
I’m in the midst of
1. Empowering women to look and feel beautiful without bras or shapewear.
2. Serving the fashion needs of women over 40.
3. Changing the world!
“The pre-menopausal me could never have said all that. She felt discouraged by the changing shape of her midlife body. She was intimidated by a fashion industry full of younger, slimmer, more glamorous people. And she would never have dreamed of talking in public about her aging bigger boobs!”
We’re in the midst of building the Founding Midster program into a membership program — one step at a time. To help build The Midst community and be featured in Meet a Midster, sign up to become a Founding Midster here on The Midst Substack. We’ll email you with more details. If you have questions, email feedback@the-midst.com.
❤️ Amy Cuevas Schroeder, Founder of The Midst
OMG, have you seen DVF at Target?
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap dress, the designer just launched a collection of clothing and swimwear for women and kids along with accessories and home decor.
Women's Long Sleeve Midi Sea Spots Black Wrap Dress, DVF for Target ($50)
@noordinarynoire wears Women's Long Sleeve V-Neck Ginkgo Green Sweater Wrap Top, DVF for Target ($40)