SurvivorStack: A directory of newsletters about life after trauma

Find your next great read on trauma, recovery and what it means to survive

Updated 20 November 2024: SurvivorStack currently includes 61 newsletters about trauma and recovery.

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Thank you for reading Beyond Survival, a publication about life after trauma. This month, I’m planning essays about sex after trauma and the books that have helped me heal.

This community is rooted in supporting and empowering survivors to recover from their experiences, and find a way to live better in the aftermath. If you’d like to support that mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. It means a lot!

Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

When I first started trying to recover from the sexual violence I’d experienced in childhood, I really struggled to find accurate information. This was in the 2000s, before #MeToo, before #BelieveSurvivors, before there was any kind of public conversation about trauma and recovery. I read what I could - mostly academic books, and the occasional memoir - but I was desperate for other survivors' stories. 

Because trauma changes you. The person you were before the traumatic event is gone, and you have to remake yourself in the aftermath. It is often a very lonely experience, it doesn’t need to be. Actually, we were never meant to do it alone. 

Beyond Survival is the community and resource I wish I’d had back then, and today I’m expanding it to honor our collective voices and further nourish our healing: I’m launching SurvivorStack, a directory of newsletters about life after trauma. 

SurvivorStack is a place to seek and find stories, resources and information about life after trauma. There are thousands of writers on this platform, all toiling away in our separate silos. I want to bring us together, so we can share and amplify our important work. 

While trauma weaves its way into so many of our stories, this directory is a home for writers whose newsletters primarily focus on sharing their experiences of trauma and, most importantly, recovery. 

My work is often focused on grief and sexual violence, but trauma can be much broader than that. Maybe you write about recovering from addiction, from serious mental or physical illness, from deep betrayal or the collapse of a central relationship. Maybe you write about how climate change is upending life as we know it, or how you (or your family) chose to leave your home and seek opportunity somewhere new. Maybe you write about the hate you experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or because you are somehow considered ‘other’. 

I’m looking to gather newsletters that reflect on the experience of life after trauma. I’m looking for writing that seeks new ways to survive, heal and grow in the aftermath of life’s most difficult experiences. 

Some examples include: Holly Whitaker at Recovering, Suleika Jaouad at The Isolation Journals and the many great writers at Sober App.  

Submit your newsletter

If you’d like to be included in this directory, please leave a comment telling me a little more about your newsletter. You’re welcome to nominate another newsletter you enjoy, but self-nominations are also encouraged. Writing about trauma isn’t easy, so please take this opportunity to toot your own horn! 

I will be including publications that: 

• Are written by writers who self-identify as survivors of trauma

• Regularly write about trauma and recovery (You don’t need to only write about trauma and recovery to be included here, but it should be a significant part of your newsletter.) 

• Are active on Substack with at least 5 published posts (If you’re taking a break from publishing regularly but have an archive of posts, you are very welcome.)

I’m not endorsing the content of the publications included, nor do I agree with them 100% of the time. But I trust readers to be able to use their own judgment and find the publications that resonate with them. 

Thank you for co-creating SurvivorStack with me! 

Working on Beyond Survival, I often think of the person I was ten years ago. I felt so alone, as I scrambled to come to terms with my mother’s death and the sexual abuse I’d experienced as a child. Beyond Survival is the resource that would have changed my life if it existed a decade ago. 

Together, we can compile a directory of publications that will be a useful starting point for anyone interested in thinking differently about life after trauma and finding community for the path ahead. Because we were never meant to do it alone. 

In solidarity, 

Clare x

P.S. If you’re discovering this post later, please go ahead and leave a comment about your newsletter. I’ll be updating the directory every month, and would love to include you. 

P.P.S. If anything changes with your publication or you’d like to amend your description, please let me know. There’s been a lot of interest in this directory and I’ve done my best to write a short description that accurately captures each newsletter’s unique perspective. But if it doesn’t feel right to you, please reach out and we’ll fix it.

A Thin Space: In her own words, Emily Conway writes "personal essays of awareness and intention that help readers to feel seen and understood with an emphasis on healing and wholeness. For those who feel and live deeply, this newsletter is your companion."

All Parts: In Eliza Butler’s words, “All Parts is for overwhelmed deep-feelers exhausted from our over-intellectualized world. Join me, a somatic psychotherapist & breathworker with a low BS tolerance, for educational and personal stories of healing, reconnecting to joy, and living more alive.”

Amplify respect:  Rey Katz writes about “LGBTQ+ rights and coming out as trans and non-binary, sharing support, joy, and collective healing through martial arts”

An Imperfect Pearl: Mitch Boucher writes about "autism, hurdles I’ve overcome whilst growing up in a household full of narcissistic abuse and a dysfunctional family, as well as feelings related to going no-contact."

Bella & The Beast: Alexx Hart writes about living with Traumatic Brain Injury and other bodily injuries, domestic violence, adult & childhood sexual assault, medical & disability trauma and being unknowingly neurodivergent and all the bullying, abuse, sensory, and interpersonal issues that come with that. She also writes the Tinkerings of an Elemental Alchemist newsletter which documents her "art & nature therapy adventures".

Bird On A Mast: In her own words, Andrea Thomas "shares my latest ruminations, passions, and weaknesses to offer a peek inside the mind of an unfinished human writing an unfinished tale. Join me as I become myself and a writer at the same time." Andrea is also writing a memoir about how childhood sexual assault impacted her, how she hid for half her life— afraid of the world and myself, and what finally changed for her.

Depths of Repair: Patrick Maguire & Jessi Moore describe Depths of Repair as "Untangling the barriers that make finding genuine connection and growth so difficult. Strategies and tools presented through raw personal stories of failure, resilience, and unearthing our best selves."

Down Clarty Lonnen: In her own words, Sue Reed is a "childhood sexual and emotional abuse survivor, and in her seventh decade writing about survival and finding our voice post menopause".

Dreaming In the Real: In her own words, Marnie Craig is “releasing a memoir on Substack chapter by chapter about my journey to wholeness after generational and developmental trauma, loss and domestic abuse.”

Ed's Gambling Journey: In his own words, Ed is writing about "my recovery from gambling addiction, as well as dealing with the delayed trauma of losing a parent at a young age. I am discovering more about myself with each piece of writing I post on my Substack."

expiration date: In her own words, Sara “ started Expiration Date after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, as a resource for people going through similar experiences. I write about death, the disquiet that comes from being human and the preciousness of time. Writing helps me understand and chase what lurks in the shadows and it allows me to choose the words that will become my story - it’s a kind of therapy.”

Family Scapegoat Abuse (FSA) Education™: Rebecca C Mandeville LMFT CCTP is a clinician, complex trauma specialist, and researcher who coined the term 'Family Scapegoating Abuse' (FSA). In her own words, her newsletter “provides a space for FSA survivors to learn, grow, discover, and connect”.

Garbled Thoughts: Marbellys writes about trauma in many guises, including infidelity, living with a life limiting illness, bereavement and childhood abuse. In her own words, her newsletter is about "learning to live again with a burnt soul and a broken heart. Pouring out all the pain and hurt to make room for joy and peace."

Glossing: Victoria Navarra runs the Glossing newsletter where she often writes about trauma. She recently wrote about experiencing the election as a sexual assault survivor.

Good Grief: In her own words, Jeanette Brown writes about “grief and gratitude and how the two have helped her survive a tower of trauma, from child abuse to parent loss to divorcing a narcissist to learning I’m neurodivergent in midlife.”

Healing Circles: Shana Hormann writes Healing Circles, which "passionately promoting health and joy in individuals, organizations, and communities". Shana is an organizational trauma and healing consultant and believes that healing happens in relationships.

Honesty Written: “Raw, thought-provoking writing that delves into the challenging journey of healing from childhood abuse, emotional neglect, and addiction.”

From My Heart to Yours: Dawn Levitt writes Hope & Healing. She's a "2-time heart transplant recipient and survivor of childhood trauma and domestic violence". She writes poetry, shares messages of support and encouragement and hopes that readers will "learn to heal from trauma, either physically or emotionally, by following along with my healing journey."

Human Being: Jennifer Bochik writes about the "traumas of loss and addiction loss, as well as the trauma of being a woman in a patriarchal society". In her own words, "this Substack was created with a strong desire to share my experiences as a bereaved mother. Sharing with you in this space is part of my healing process. I wish to share as an act of solidarity with other human beings who face challenges of such magnitude."

In Tending: Ryan Rose Weaver writes about “mindfulness, caregiving, and the ways in which these two things intersect.” In her own words, she “wishes [SurvivorStack] had been around when I first joined Substack and was writing from a place of processing perinatal grief. My hope is that what I’m doing now is helpful to folks all along the recovery spectrum—talking about how mindfulness has helped me in my own process, and can help others who aren’t normally into that.”

Inner Source: In Jacqui Taylor's words, her newsletter is "a place to explore what it means to be you and make it lighter to live there. Ponderings on life when sometimes it feels hard to truly be yourself, understanding where we meet those around us and the wider world."

Is this what you want?: Christa Lei is a "fat, polyamorous, queer, disabled, neurodivergent Filipine-American writer, consultant and disability + community care worker and their insights on disability, care, relationships, activism and identity." They write, educate others in patient and self advocacy, build communities through communal care, and do fun, creative stuff.

It's The Hope:  In her own words, Lorena B writes “to heal and find community, sharing my experience of living with chronic ill health, namely Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). This is an illness entirely caused by being prescribed harmful medicines. It's taken 11 years of my life, during which I was gaslit by doctors. I'm now healing, and I'm writing prose and poetry about my experiences being ill, getting well and everything in between.”

Lexistential: In Lex's words: "I’m ten year out from the death of my son. I don’t write exclusively about grief anymore, but from the perspective of a human who is trying to live authentically and deeply in light of the things I have faced."

Life After Therapy: In her own words, Maria Mosca writes about "trauma through the lens of neurodivergency. I write with hope about the things that hurt, about therapy practices that have worked and those that haven't. I'm a pastry chef, so I use a lot of food metaphors to talk about big things."

Life Wedged In: In her own words, Keisha Kokonezi writes about her "experience with severe Long Covid, the mental toll it has taken, and the slow journey to recovery. I am currently bedbound, but was mostly vegetative for two and a half years with a fully functioning brain. As a dancer and athlete my entire life, being trapped in my body, aware of everything but not able to move and barely able to speak, was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to live through. That said, I am growing every day and have learned so many things I am grateful for."

Light into Dark Places: Michele Peters is a survivor who “writes from the heart with the intention to bring light into dark places. She believes in love first, always.”

Meaghan's Substack: Meaghan Carriere writes "for adopted people who are recovering from the trauma of adoption, childhood abuse, or the discovery of their adoption as adults. This is becoming incredibly common as DNA tests have become readily available. It turns out keeping a persons accurate parentage a secret was common practice and even recommended for many decades. The damage is considerable and there are few resources, but I create for this demographic."

Mostly Brave: In her own words, Christine Castigliano shares "stories, songs and support for creative healing with a lighthearted vibe. I’m a cPTSD survivor who created HeartsQuest, a playful deck of 52 practices and videos, to help myself and others return to our center of clarity and compassion."

My Life Walking on Eggshells: Jan Downing writes about growing up around domestic violence, and writes for survivors of dysfunctional, toxic, and abusive environments/relationships. In her own words: “I tell ‘been there, done that’ stories and offer insights on the obstacles standing in the way of healing and living a life that works.”

Notes from Saving the World: Catriona Knapman's newsletter provides "vision, solace, heart and grit for those on unconventional paths and wild journeys. Inspired by 20 years in 10 countries, working in the aid sector."

Off The Rails: Jayne Manfredi is an Anglican Deacon and a writer. In her words, she writes about "recovery following trauma caused by the church". "I once was a curate, working for the Church of England, but then my life was completely derailed. I’ve spent two years trying to get things back on track and now I’ve realised that being off the rails is exactly where I’m supposed to be."

Opulence Abundance: Opulence Abundance is “a trans intersex person of color living in the south and writing about healing trauma, navigating conflict, and building community from a buddhist perspective.”

Phoenix Soul: In Tricia Odham's own words: "I write about resilience, healing, and the power of transformation because I’ve walked these paths myself. Through life’s hardest challenges—overcoming alcoholism, surviving PTSD, enduring the grief of losing a child, and navigating the depths of work burnout—I’ve discovered tools and practices that helped me rise and rebuild."

Queerly Enlightened: Releasing the Barriers to Joy: Skylar Lyralen Kaye writes about “long term recovery, including #metoo, childhood abuse, a little about trafficking and a lot about the nervous system and ways to practice love to increase joy. All from a queer perspective.”

Radical Soul: Jera Brown writes about religious trauma. In Jera's own words, this newsletter and podcast are for you if "you’ve experienced religious trauma (or any trauma really) and are trying to figure out what it means to heal".

REASONS FOR LIVING: In her own words, Esmé Weijun Wang's REASONS FOR LIVING is "a sanctuary curated by Esmé, featuring guest contributors like R.F. Kuang & Jenny Odell. Each edition presents essays & prompts exploring the beauty/complexity of being alive."

Rehabitus®: In his own words, Adam shares "insights and personal stories on addiction, recovery, and lasting sobriety, hoping they offer something valuable to those on their own journey."

Root and Branch: Lorelei Jonason is a survivor of sexual and emotional abuse. She writes about "how confusing the whole experience was, and what got me out. When I write fantasy, my stories are filled with themes of power and perspective."

Sage Survivor: Epiphany Junkie: J Bradley O finds "people and life puzzling and exquisitely beautiful. I find my own extraordinarily complex psyche fascinating, but puzzling. I write to explore and to share what I've discovered, seeking kindred."

Sex and Style: In her own words, Sarah Ward believes that "every human on the planet has the potential to be deeply embodied and wildly erotic. Join me on a path to reclaim your wild body and erotic nature, understand women's sexual health and cultivate personal style."

Shraddah: In her own words, Anyakara's writing is "centrally focused on learning how to live from Soul after the traumatic deaths of her two children just six months apart. She shares her journey of learning to use art, poetry, writing, books, community and more to survive and come through each day. As with all trauma, life afterwards is complex and the topics vary week to week with each letter but this is the mainstay: choosing to live after your children have died and learning to do it full of beauty and love."

Soul Mastery Dispatch: Nurturing The Spirit of Change: Nancy Boyd is an author, award-winning coach, and soul mechanic. In her words, she launched her newsletter to"plunge into the depths of our ever-changing world, offering insights, stories, and no-nonsense guidance for a better world".

Story Carrier: In her own words, Jane Clark writes about "the silencing of women and the work that’s necessary to unsilence us. I’m all about VOICE! My background as a legal advocate for survivors of sexual assault and my work leading writing workshops for women informs my writing."

Sunday Drive: Michelle Polizzi is a writer, essayist, and storyteller with work in The Huffington Post, Insider, Parade, Herstry, Real Simple, and more. She's the author of MODEL HOME, an unpublished memoir about the housing crisis in rural America.

Survive Your Story: Shawna Ayoub's newsletter, Survive Your Story, focuses on "expressive writing for release and recovery". She provides free monthly content on how to use expressive writing as a survival tool, especially for underprivileged communities.

The Faggot-Witch Whenever: Gabriel Mac writes about “incest trauma and the everyday trauma of being gay and trans.” He has written two books, and won numerous awards for his work.

The Lizzy Co Show: Lizzy Co creates “deeply engaging, vulnerable memoir that includes poetry, music, design and photography. This is content to slow down and sit with for a while.”

The Shrieking Cactus by writer Joy Victory examines the lifelong impact of intergenerational mental illness and trauma, with nature often serving as a metaphor for healing and resilience.

The Therapy Room: Dr Vicki Connop is a clinical psychologist and trauma specialist. She writes The Therapy Room newsletter, and shares "musings of the mind, body, heart and soul from the world of psychology, yoga and life".

There’s Nothing Wrong With You (And There Never Was): In her own words, Kelly Thompson writes about "how to recover, find your badass, kick ass, and align with your true Self. She is editor and curator for The Rumpus column, Voices on Addiction."

This cPTSD Life: In her own words, Leigh wants to "demystify and bring greater understanding to complex post-traumatic stress disorder, cPTSD. I’ll be sharing insights about my experience + how the trauma lens affects what I see and experience in the world."

ToSeeBeauty is about “complex trauma/CPTSD. And attempting to see beauty amongst it all. “

Tuli together: Catherine writes about “the messiness of being in eating disorder recovery & how OCD, chronic pain, queerness, and more intersect with food and body hang ups in complex ways”. Her newsletter is called Tuli Together, and "tuli" translates as "i endured".

Two Track Seth: In his own words, Seth writes about “finding wholeness and plumbing the depths of ancestral / Holocaust trauma through psychedelics.”

Wednesdays at the Well: Rebecca Wilson writes weekly reflections about the things that cause and quench our thirst. She writes about surviving childhood abuse, depression, coming out as queer and surrendering her clergy credentials, finding faith outside of organized religion and courage from accompanying my mother on her journey with cancer.

Wild Lion*esses Pride: Wild Lion*esses Pride includes writing on "trauma, identity, self-discovery & recipes. Personal reflections, journaling prompts & topics on diversity & social justice. And, healing and growth through mindful insights & affirmations."

Words escape me: In his own words, Mark Lefebvre newsletter is "focused on recovery from the impacts of childhood trauma, channeling that lived experience into helping others in need, and lessons on raising the tide of recovery capacity in your community."

Writing a better world: In her own words, Ros Barber writes about "recovering from both childhood and marital trauma… and the powerful reframes that come from post-traumatic growth. I am looking at how we can write a better future for each of us individually and humanity as a whole."