Dear Power
A reflection on reclaiming your relationship with personal power including your voice, your boundaries, and your ability to choose for yourself.
First time reading? Start with the [Series Introduction]. Other posts include [Dear Safety], [Dear Connection], [Dear Love], and upcoming [Dear Boundaries].
Author’s Note: This letter is part of the “Dear Needs” series: 7 reflective letters inspired by the 12 core emotional needs for healing by Tim Fletcher. These reflections explore common themes in trauma recovery, including neglect, abandonment, and emotional survival. Please read at your own pace, and return only when it feels safe to do so.
Power isn’t control.
It’s clarity, voice,
and the courage to stand alone when needed.
@myjourneycompasshealth1“Power isn’t control. It’s clarity, choice, and the courage to stand in your own truth.”
Dear Power,
We were taught you were dangerous. We saw power twisted into control, silence, fear, manipulation. It showed up as the loudest person in the room. The one who punished, humiliated, demanded obedience.
So we shrank.
We became small to stay safe. We stayed quiet to avoid punishment. We stopped asking for what we needed because asking became a threat.
But that wasn’t your fault. That was power misused, distorted, weaponized. True power doesn’t scream or control.
It doesn’t seek to dominate. True power whispers: You get to choose.
It’s the moment you trust your own knowing. The moment you say no without guilt. The moment you walk away—without explanation, without fear.
When we reclaim power after trauma, it doesn’t always look loud or fierce. Sometimes it looks like stillness. Sometimes it sounds like: Not anymore.
We don’t have to prove anything. We only have to remember: We are allowed to take up space.
Power reclaimed
doesn’t always look loud.
Sometimes it looks like choosing your own path.
@myjourneycompasshealth1Clinical Insight
After trauma, power can feel like something we either lost or had to seize. Reclaiming healthy power is not about control—it’s about autonomy, agency, and knowing we are allowed to exist without apology.
Inward Invitation
A still moment of reflection.
Reclaiming power starts with noticing what’s true, without needing to explain it to anyone.
@myjourneycompasshealth1
Journal prompts from your Dear Power Companion:
When did I begin to believe that my voice was dangerous or unwanted?
How have I confused power with control?
What would it feel like to live from agency rather than fear?
Where in my life do I need to reclaim power softly, but fully?
Resources for Deeper Healing:
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction-Gabor Mate[trigger warning: addiction language]
The 12 Essential Needs for Healing from Complex Trauma – Tim Fletcher
← Previous: [Dear Connection]
→ Next in the series: [Dear Boundaries]
Ready to talk? / ¿Lista(o) para hablar?
English:
• Trauma-informed, integrated psychiatric care
• Non-controlled medication management
• For adults, teens, and children ages 6+
Español:
• Atención psiquiátrica integrada y con enfoque en trauma
• Manejo de medicamentos no controlados
• Para adultos, adolescentes y niños a partir de los 6 años
*This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or establish a provider–client relationship.*
*Este blog es solo para fines educativos y no constituye asesoramiento médico ni establece una relación proveedor–paciente.*