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PTSD In Stephanie Foo's What My Bones Know

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I am sure everybody has judged a book by its cover however; I also have based reading this book off of its cover. Once I started reading this memoir, I found fulfillment in these pages. The book, What My Bones Know a memoir of Stephanie Foo's healing from complex trauma details her personal journey. I found relation to having my own PTSD, which intrigued me to know about her own PTSD. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, Foo was diagnosed over the internet with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously. Stephanie Foo recounts a memory from her childhood in which her mother offers to edit her paper for school. As a child, Stephanie is excited about the opportunity to show her work to her mother and eagerly hands over her paper. As her mother begins reading and marking up the paper, Stephanie watches in anticipation, hoping for praise and approval. However, instead of providing positive feedback or constructive criticism, her mother proceeds to completely rewrite the paper, altering the words, sentences, and overall structure. Stephanie is upset and frustrated by her mother's edits, feeling as though her work has been taken …show more content…

Her mother then explains that it is because Stephanie always wants to be the center of attention. Foo recalls times when her mother would fly into fits of rage, accusing her of various wrongdoings, which often resulted in severe beatings. These beatings were not only physically painful but also psychologically damaging, as they reinforced a sense of worthlessness and helplessness. Stephanie calls these traumatic occasions called the dreadful and uses it as excuse to question her ability and writing talent. At 13 years of age, Stephanie Foo's mother made the decision to leave her family. Stephanie recalls feeling a profound sense of confusion and sadness as she watched her mother pack her belongings and walk

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