Category: Trauma

Shame is on the Other Side: The 10 Stages of “Coming Out” as an Abuse Survivor
Trauma · Wear Your Voice Magazine · Women

Shame is on the Other Side: The 10 Stages of “Coming Out” as an Abuse Survivor

Sezin Devi Koehler

“After the Stanford rape survivor released her powerful and detailed victim impact statement, I was inspired to write my own open letter in which I discussed my experiences with sexual and partner violence. In the months since my “coming out” as a survivor — a decision that I did not make or take lightly — I’ve been actively reflecting on my myriad emotions and identifying distinct stages to the process. As with the five stages of grief, this isn’t a linear evolution; I found myself cycling through some of these stages multiple times before the emotion passed. Here’s what to expect.” For Wear Your Voice Mag, October 2016.

Everything I Know About Body Positivity I Learned From Saris and Tattoos
Expatria · Florida · Health · Repatria · Third Culture Kids · Trauma · Wear Your Voice Magazine · Women

Everything I Know About Body Positivity I Learned From Saris and Tattoos

Sezin Devi Koehler

“My tattoos teach me how to own myself, to shape my figure into who I want to be, not the person anyone else expects. My new curves make me feel solid and present in my body like I’ve never felt before, fierce and strong. And now all I need is a sparkling plus-size sari to pour all this fabulousness into.” For Wear Your Voice Mag, August 2016.

Why This Feminist Ended Her Game of Thrones Boycott — And Was Surprised by Season Six
Guest Posts · Television · Trauma · Wear Your Voice Magazine · Women

Why This Feminist Ended Her Game of Thrones Boycott — And Was Surprised by Season Six

Sezin Devi Koehler

“After Game of Thrones aired its first episodes of season six, I began to receive whispers from my own network of sparrows telling me that it was like an entirely new monster had been born, but this time a feminist beast had emerged. Apparently, women were taking center stage and there was far less gratuitous female nudity and no sexual violence of any kind on camera.” For Wear Your Voice Magazine, July 2017.

Internal And External Displacement: Immigration, Mental Illness, and Netflix’s River
Empath · Huffington Post · Television · Trauma · Zuzu Huffington

Internal And External Displacement: Immigration, Mental Illness, and Netflix’s River

Sezin Devi Koehler

“Immigration doesn’t only externally displace a person from familiar surroundings, language, and culture, it also internally displaces us into a cultural and linguistic limbo that at times can be a horror to navigate. Lives become split into befores and afters, and even if you inhabit a closely-knit immigrant community, immigration forces us into liminal existences often on the social and cultural margins that create perceived differences between us and them, and even causes ruptures between us and the homeland that grow more and more apparent the longer one lives outside.” My 35th article for HuffPost, published in July 2016.