Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciara Freeman.
Ciara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
January will be 10 years since my mom passed away. My mom was my rock and my very best friend. She was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2006 and went into remission in 2011. In December of 2015 she began having slurring of her words and numbness in her legs. I suggested she make an appointment to go and see the doctor. She agreed and before that appointment ever came she had a seizure on January 3, 2016. We thought it was a stroke and found out that the cancer has metastasized to her brain and on January 30, 2016, she passed away. That is where my journey begins. I was born and raised in the church and a family of faith. My faith was rocked in 2016, and I didn’t know how I was going to recover. I ran away from the pain of losing my mom for two years. It was while I was on a trip that I realized I had some decisions to make, and they were going to be very difficult. I was going to have to revisit a very painful place if I wanted to continue moving forward in my life. I hated every minute of it and did not love the uncomfortability of dealing with and processing the pain but that is what birthed the therapist that I am today. I have been doing trauma therapy for 5 almost 6 years and just published my first book in October 2025 entitled Choose your hard: The road from bondage to freedom. I wanted to help others walk through very painful and traumatic moments and get to the other side of that pain.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This road has been one of the hardest roads to walk next to losing my mom. First I had to deal with the grief of her passing. I had to figure out how to navigate as a 27-year-old who wanted to curl up in a ball and throw a tantrum like a 4 year old. I went through two relationships that did not work out, I had to navigate trying not to pick up becoming the mom and taking on her role. That was very difficult and being the oldest it just comes naturally, and I fumbled that in many ways. I had to process and deal with complex traumas. My mom passing was a major one, but that one opened a whole barrel of other unprocessed trauma. I had no idea I was dealing with harboring resentment and anger towards people. I didn’t realize how deep my control issues ran. I had a new realization of just how afraid I was to lose other family members because I had lost my mom. It caused me to operate differently in the world and show up differently. I had many sleepless nights and being hit with grief very hard at random moments. I had to figure out over time what road I wanted to take even though all of it was difficult.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a trauma therapist and the mission and vision of my practice to see men and woman reach their fullest potential by processing hard things. I will meet you where you are and if you are ready to take the plunge, I am ready to go with you. I specialize in emotional childhood trauma in adults. Think abandonment, neglect, shame, not being able to share feelings, validation, taking on others responsibility etc… I also specialize in spiritual trauma. In the faith world if you’ve been hurt the church or even feel hurt and abandoned by God, I will help you process that. I am known for challenging work that will get lasting outcomes. If you are willing to do the work you can experience life change. I believe what sets me apart is that I will bring joy and laughter into the space. Trauma is very hard and can be brutal at times. I will sit with you in those tough spaces and hold that space and then we can find something joyful in our present day. No matter how small! I am most proud of launching my first book. I had an amazing team that came together to make this happen and I am so very proud of that. I want readers to know that I welcome anyone who would like to explore some of their hurts and pains. I see clients virtually and offer consultations to see if we are a good fit.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My whole support system since loosing my mom deserves all of the credit! Advocates and people in my corner: Trevor Payton, Jewel Cha, Paula Searcy, Todd and Liz McVicker, Jonas and Cyndi Amaya. Mentors, Dawn Marie Keir. Friends: Catharine Jordan, Ginger Hughes and Alicia Palmer. These people all rallied around me and didn’t expect anything of me. They allowed me to be a mess of a person at the lowest time of my life. They held up my arms for me when I couldn’t do it myself. They made space and room for me to fail a lot and not to be ok. I was able to turn off with them and felt safe and seen. They rallied around at different points during that time and stuck by my side teh whole time. They wouldn’t allow me to give up on myself and continued to speak truth in love and grace towards me. They are all still very important people in my life today. I wouldn’t be close to the person I am today with out them by my side!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://afterthefathersheart.com
- Instagram: afterthefathersheart_
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Choose-Your-Hard-Bondage-Freedom/dp/B0FVKTZPVX/
Image Credits
Craig Obrist, Alex Roque
