Trauma Healing Hawaii

04/21/2025

We’re Hiring: Mental Health Therapist (Independent Contractor)

Work from anywhere in the U.S. | $80/clinical hr | >$110K/year for

Join a practice that values your autonomy, supports your growth, and honors the depth of your work. At Trauma Healing Hawaiʻi, we're looking for dedicated, compassionate, and skilled therapists who are excited about joining a boutique, trauma-informed group practice offering flexible schedules, str...

04/04/2025

What if this was never about the weight of your experiences?
What if it’s always been about the "shape" you became to carry it?
The way you bent. Folded. Twisted. Softened. Hardened.
The way your nervous system whispered “danger” while you smiled anyway and pushed forward.

You didn’t just put something down this month.

You let it burn.

And from the ashes, you’re becoming someone new.
Not because of the fire - but because you chose to rise from it.
Someone softer - but not weaker.
Someone braver - because you finally rested.
Someone freer - because you realize the world will keep turning even when you don’t hold it all.

🔥 Like the Phoenix, your transformation is not a return to who you were -
It’s a becoming. A sacred reformation forged in fire, clarity, and presence.

🌱 You are not here to be invisible beneath other people’s needs; you're here to take up space unapologetically.
🌺 You are not here to break softly in your silence and call it strength; you're here to stand firm in your truth.
🔥 You are not here to perform love at your own expense; you're here to be love to yourself and others.

You are here to rise - with your boundaries intact, your spirit nourished, your energy reclaimed, and your heart full.

Let this be your origin story. Not the one written by trauma, but the one lit by your rebirth.

You don’t just survive what tried to shape you - you reshape yourself.

💬 How are you different now, even just a little? We know you see that small or big difference, and we see it too. Drop a word, a sentence, a shift.

🔗 Walk the path back to yourself: https://traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life

Erik Acuna

03/27/2025

The hardest part isn’t putting the weight down - it’s resisting the urge to pick it back up. Even when you know it’s heavy. Even when you know it’s breaking you. So why do you reach for it again?

⚖️ Because somewhere along the way, you learned that your worth was tied to what you could carry.

🫂 Because it feels safer to hold everything than to trust someone else to hold even a little.

🧠 Because love, as you were taught, meant sacrifice - even at your own expense.

💫But once dispelled, here's what is seen through the illusions: Carrying it all doesn’t make you stronger - it makes you disappear.

And when you disappear, no one knows what you need. No one offers to hold the weight because you’ve made it look easy. Yes! You are strong - but if you don’t unlearn that now, how much longer will you break yourself to keep the world running?

Let the weight sit where it falls. If it’s yours, it’ll wait. If it isn’t, it never was.

💬 What’s one thing you’re done picking back up? Share it - your voice deserves this space.

🔗 For more on breaking free from emotional burdens, visit: https://lnkd.in/gwifdbFh

Erik Acuna

03/24/2025

What if the act of love was simply saying “no” to everything that drains you?

Women, men, everyone - so many of us have been conditioned to carry it all:
👉 Family responsibilities
👉 Work demands
👉 Emotional labor
👉 The pressure to keep everything running smoothly

We’ve become the silent bearers of life’s heavy, unspoken expectations. But… what if real love starts with putting it all down?

Letting go isn’t giving up. It’s reclaiming what’s yours: your time, your peace, your energy. Saying “no” doesn’t mean you don’t care - it means you love yourself enough to know you can’t carry everything. And the truth is, whether we see them or not, there are people quietly watching out for us. Quietly rooting for us. Loving us.

So - rest, recharge, nurture yourself - because your well-being matters.

This Women’s History Month, embrace the radical act of love: say “no.”

Because putting it down doesn’t mean we won’t be able to lift it again - it means we never had to, to begin with.

💬 What’s one thing you’ve let go of recently as an act of love for yourself? Share below.

🔗 Dive deeper into finding quiet support in our latest blog: traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life

Erik Acuna

03/14/2025

What if women just stopped?
Stopped over-explaining.
Stopped cleaning up everyone’s messes.
Stopped being the default planner, fixer, and emotional shock absorber.

For generations, women have been expected to hold things together - whether or not they had support. Holding family tensions. Managing invisible labor. Absorbing stress so others don’t have to.

But what if we let the silence stretch instead of filling it?
What if we let others feel the weight of their own responsibilities?
What if we put it down - not because we can’t carry it, but because we never should have had to?

This isn’t burnout. This is awakening.

The truth? The weight was never just ours to hold. And letting go isn’t a failure - it’s an invitation for balance.

We don’t just carry pain - we turn pain into power. By reclaiming our space, our time, our energy, and our voice, we don’t just survive - we rise.

Say it with me:
✨ My peace is not a luxury.
✨ My rest is not negotiable.
✨ My healing is not an inconvenience.

💬 What’s one expectation you’re done carrying?

🔗 Read more: https://traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life

Erik Acuna

03/14/2025

The emotional and experiential burdens women carry don’t just weigh on the body - they shape how we move through the world.

For generations, women have been conditioned to carry it all:
🔹 The labor of holding families together, regardless of support. Balancing work, motherhood, and the household.
🔹 The expectation to be “strong,” even when rest is needed. Maternal martyrdom has us sacrificing time, energy, and well-being for others, often without acknowledgment or reprieve.
🔹 The silence around our own pain, as speaking up is too often met with dismissal, leading to caregiver burnout and an emotional burden that’s never fully addressed.

This isn’t just stress - it’s a survival response passed down through culture, expectation, and necessity. But as we’ve explored this week, survival is not the same as healing.

🌀 Movement moves emotions. Trauma lives in the body. Many women store it in our shoulders, our gut, our breath. Unclenching is a practice.

🌊 Nature resets the body. For generations, women have turned to water for renewal - ocean swims, cold plunges, warm baths, or even just feeling rain on the skin.

🗣 Voice breaks silence. True healing happens when we’re truly heard. The stories we speak aloud no longer own us. Stand in your truth, even when it goes against the group.

🔺 Lōkahi heals in connection. Struggles get heavier in isolation. When we find spaces that honor our healing, everything shifts.

This Women’s History Month, dare to approach your healing by putting things down instead of simply pushing through. Let’s name what’s been carried for too long and recognize that setting it down isn’t weakness. It’s power.

💬 What’s one way you’ve reclaimed your space?

🔗 Beyond Crisis: https://traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life

Erik Acuna

03/13/2025

Some burdens are invisible. Women carry them daily - the unspoken expectations, the emotional weight, the endless responsibilities of family and work, the past wounds absorbed in silence. The world praises resilience, but at what cost?

Many women don’t realize how much they hold until their bodies force them to. Chronic tension. Fatigue. Anxiety. These aren’t just personal struggles; they’re survival responses.

Women’s mental health isn’t just shaped by personal experiences. It’s shaped by generations of caregiving, societal expectations, and the pressure to be “strong” even when running on empty. But healing doesn’t mean carrying it all alone.

Therapies like somatic work, EMDR, and trauma-informed mindfulness help untangle these burdens - not by demanding “resilience,” but by honoring rest, release, and reclamation.

💬 What’s one small way you’ve learned to set down the weight? Drop it in the comments - your experience might be the permission someone else needs.

🔗 Explore more in our latest blog: Beyond Crisis → https://traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life

Erik Acuna

03/11/2025

Some things in life don’t announce themselves. They don’t come with an “aha” moment or a dramatic turning point. Healing is often like that. One day, you catch yourself reacting differently, feeling lighter, or standing firmer in your own choices. And that’s when it hits you: something has shifted. ✨

Trauma Healing Hawaii sees these moments sneak up on people. Clients who spend years in survival mode suddenly realize they’re not bracing for impact anymore. They realize they're not second-guessing every decision and notice they're speaking up without that old, familiar hesitation. 💪

“Healing doesn't return you to some imagined ‘whole’ version of yourself. It’s about integrating every part of you - your past, your struggles, your resilience - into the person you’re becoming.” — Erik Acuña, LCSW, Clinical Lead 🦋

Maybe for you, it was a deep breath before responding instead of reacting. A full night of sleep after months of restless nights. A walk outside where the world didn’t feel so heavy. These are the moments that count. Not because they’re grand, but because they’re real. 🎭

💬 What’s one way you've quietly healed, that you’ve noticed? Drop it in the comments - your experience might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.

If you're looking for more insights into these transformative moments, check out our blog for deeper reflections on healing: traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life

Erik Acuna

03/06/2025

As we begin Women's History Month, we reflect on women's profound impact on mental health advocacy and healing. This month, we honor the stories of resilience and strength that inspire us to continue our healing journeys.

Our latest blog, "Beyond Crisis: Healing in the Spaces Between Trauma & Daily Life," (https://traumahealinghi.com/beyond-crisis-healing-in-the-spaces-between-trauma-daily-life) explores how trauma subtly influences our daily experiences and why proactive healing is essential. It highlights the importance of community and shared connections in fostering resilience and well-being.

With these healing strategies in mind, we celebrate the incredible women at Trauma Healing Hawaii:

- Ingrid Middleton, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): Holistic healing through trauma-informed, natural world and spiritual approaches.

- Jacqueline Montero, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC): Eclectic, empathy-driven therapy using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI).

- Cindy Earl, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): Empowering clients with Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and trauma-focused care.

- Lauren Prendergast, Yoga Therapist: Integrating yoga therapy for stress and trauma management.

As Erik Acuña, Owner and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), notes, "Healing is a journey that unfolds in the spaces between crisis and daily life. We can find strength in stillness and allow ourselves to grow deeply and profoundly. Our all-women team at Trauma Healing Hawaii blends clinical expertise with compassionate care, crafting a healing environment where evidence-based practices gently lead each client toward personal discovery and growth."

💬 Who is a woman that has inspired your mental well-being? Share her story in the comments. Let's honor the women who have made a difference in our lives and continue to inspire us daily.

02/24/2025

Some days feel heavier than others. Lifelines - whether they’re people, practices, or professional support - remind us that we don’t have to carry everything alone.

Today, on Helplines Awareness Day, we pause to acknowledge the lifelines in our lives: the friends who check-in, the routines that steady us, and the professionals who guide us through healing. Every time we’ve reached out and found something or someone there to hold us up, we've experienced what it means to be supported.

In Hawai‘i, healing has always been collective. Laulima (many hands working together) and Ho‘oponopono (restoring balance through reconciliation within the family unit) show us that support is reciprocal. Our community has a way of grieving together in hardship and healing together in peace. Today, we express our gratitude to the professionals, resources, and organizations that offer that support and remind ourselves that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Take a moment today to recognize the lifelines in your world. And if you’re still searching for them, know they exist. There’s always someone, somewhere, reaching out with the hand you’re searching for - waiting for you to grab hold.

Erik Acuna

02/22/2025

Start something. Finish something. Move something forward. Let something go. Even one small step can shift the weight you’re carrying.

When energy has no direction, it turns into restless churn. The unfinished thoughts, the lingering decisions, the tasks left undone - they all take up space, draining you more than you realize.

Instead of holding it all, choose where your energy is going today. Follow through on something you’ve been putting off. Close a conversation that needs an ending. Release what no longer needs your attention. Clarity doesn’t come from overthinking - it comes from action.

Trauma Healing Hawaii knows that stress doesn’t just live in the mind - it’s stored in the body. Somatic healing helps break that cycle by using movement, breath, and awareness to reconnect you to the present. Taking action isn’t just about clearing tasks; it’s about shifting how you hold stress and find resolution.

💡 What’s one thing you can close, complete, or finally move forward today? Name it. Do it. Feel the shift.

Erik Acuna

02/20/2025

Leadership isn’t just about work or titles - it’s about how you manage your energy, choices, and well-being every day. Here are three simple tools to help you create more clarity and balance in your life:

✅ The 5-5-5 Check-In – When making a decision, ask: Will this matter in 5 days? 5 months? 5 years? It helps filter out distractions and focus on what truly matters.

✅ The ‘What’s Mine?’ Practice – Feeling overwhelmed? Pause and ask: Is this mine to carry? If not, let it go. Protecting your peace starts with knowing what’s actually yours to hold.

✅ The Energy Check – At the end of the week, reflect: What gave me energy? What drained me? Noticing these patterns helps you make small shifts that bring more ease into your life.

💡 When you lead yourself with intention, everything else follows. Which one of these will you try this week?

Erik Acuna