Jesse Ashes Trauma

Trauma is like a wound that never quite heals, a burden that we carry with us long after the event has passed. From the Ashes, vividly illustrates the lasting impact of trauma, both on an individual and on a community level. Jesse Thistle lived through many traumatic events through his experiences of addictions, homelessness and family problems. Despite the challenges he faces, Jesse's journey also demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit and the power of healing and self-discovery. From the Ashes serves as an important reminder of the ongoing effects of trauma within Indigenous communities. The lasting impact of trauma is powerfully demonstrated in Jesse Thistle’s memoir, From the Ashes, highlighting how he navigated through

During Jesse’s early childhood, he lived with his father and his two brothers, Jerry and Josh. Their father was mainly absent and prioritized his substance abuse over their well-being. Josh and his siblings would have to take care of themselves at such young ages to stay alive. They experienced chronic hunger and always lived on the edge without stability. Whenever their father was around, he was rarely in the right state of mind. Most times, Jesse’s father would take him and his siblings to beg for food, steal food in the convenience store or go through dumpsters for food. In this quote, “I watched as he pulled a small baggie filled with white powder out of his jean pocket. He held it up to the light and flicked it, then made his way to the washroom and slammed the door.” (Thistle 21). Jesse uses the metaphor of “flashes of lights” to describe the many catastrophic events that occurred in his life. Many traumatic events occurred during his childhood, which had a significant impact on him. In many instances, Jesse had seen his father

He made very poor decisions and had to suffer the consequences of those actions. Jesse climbs up the side of his brother’s apartment building but falls down from a big height to severely injure himself. This made it hard for Jesse to stay clean but it ultimately started his healing journey. Jesse’s injury and hospitalization show the complicated link between addiction, mental illness, and homelessness. Jesse was badly harmed and had a lot of injuries on his wrists, joints, heels, and legs when he was in the hospital for the incident. “The wind knocked completely out of me. I wasn't in any pain but tried to scream. Nothing came out. I looked at y hands- they were folded in upon my forearms. I tried to wiggle my fingers. They didn’t move. I saw my right heel was in the middle of my shin and my right foot pointed backward.” (Thistle 233). It just took three days for him to be sent home. After that horrific fall, he could not have easy access to healthcare and support during his difficult healing process. Jesse struggles to stay sober despite his efforts to stay clean and rehabilitate physically following his injury. Though, this incident made Jesse realize a lot of things and this experience is something he will never forget. While Jesse was recovering from this incident, the medication he was taking caused him to have many significant nightmares with deeper meanings relating to Jesse's life.