At 32 years old, Jasmine is a full-time student, a single mother, and a woman determined to break the cycles of trauma that shaped her past. Her journey toward healing hasn’t been easy—but it’s one that speaks to the power of resilience, community, and the decision to finally face what once felt too heavy to bear.
“For years, my family would ask me to heal from the things that once hurt me,” Jasmine said. “But instead, I pushed them away—as well as the idea of healing myself.”
Jasmine’s mental health challenges go back as far as she can remember. She grew up learning to suppress her pain, encouraged to self-medicate instead of speak. Like many in similar situations, trauma became a quiet undercurrent in her life, shaping her responses to stress and hardship. The added weight of parenting without a partner, due to incarceration, only deepened the pressure she carried.
“I didn’t start my healing process until my eldest daughter was baptized at church, and she invited our family to join her in her new journey,” she shared. “That day, she not only helped us get closer to God, but she also surrounded us by those who inspired us to heal ourselves and set ourselves free from those things that once weighed us down.” Among those who encouraged her were the pastors at her church, who walked alongside her in faith and reminded her of her identity and value. “Their messages of hope and grace were exactly what I needed during some of my hardest moments.”
She also credits the other supporters for helping her stay on course during some of her darkest days. “Most importantly, they stood by me and reminded me to stay on the right pathway, not allow others’ battles to become my own, and to break the generational cycles that once ran in my family,” she said.
One of the most impactful people in Jasmine’s Journey was Tricia Sublet, SENT’s Mental Health Director and Therapist. “Tricia is the main one who has not only stood by me, but she has pushed me to become better,” Jasmine shared. Through their work together over the past three years, Jasmine has found space, safety, and encouragement to heal deeply.
With therapy and a growing toolkit of self-regulation skills—including calming her vagus nervous system through things like, hand massage techniques, and therapies like CBT, EMDR, and Neurofeedback—Jasmine has learned how to face her trauma without letting it define her. “These tools have helped me come an exceptionally long way within my healing.”
Today, Jasmine is pursuing higher education. Her education, paired with her lived experience, has deepened her empathy for others and taught her how to help herself even outside of formal therapy. “It’s helped me realize that others struggle too, and it’s not just me.”
Her story isn’t one of instant transformation, but of steady, intentional change—fueled by faith, community, and her desire to create a better life for her children.
“My ultimate goal,” she says, “is to break generational cycles that started long before I was born.”
To others facing similar challenges, Jasmine offers this encouragement:
“It’s okay to have a past that’s hard to face. But it’s how we view our past that matters. If we allow those things to control us, they will. But if we face them and stay positive through the healing process, change becomes possible.”
She holds close a quote someone once shared with her:
“The branches of our lives grow in many directions; we use them for shelter and protection from the trials of life.”
Those words, like Jasmine’s journey, remind us that even when the roots are tangled in pain, growth is still possible—and healing can provide shelter for generations to come.
Note: The client’s name and identifying details have been changed to protect her privacy and honor her story with dignity and respect.