The Unmasked Journal
Where we name what hurts and reclaim our own knowing.
For the woman who has spent her life questioning herself while understanding everyone else.
For the woman asking, "Is this my trauma response, or am I being hurt?"
For the mother who holds everything together while quietly falling apart.
For the neurodivergent woman who has spent so much of her life masking that she's forgotten what it feels like to simply exist as herself.
Here, we have the conversations that are too often left unspoken.
About emotional abuse and neglect. Relationship anxiety. The shadow side of empathy. Nervous-system overwhelm. Boundaries, self-trust, and the complicated journey of finding yourself beyond survival.
Through lived experience, thoughtful education, and honest reflection, we'll explore the patterns that shape our lives without shame, judgment, or someone else deciding our truth for us.
Because sometimes healing begins when someone finally gives you language for what you've been experiencing.
Welcome to The Unmasked Journal.
With love, Jess — The Mystic Midwife
Love or Illusion? How to Tell the Difference Between Real Love, Infatuation, Attachment, and Trauma Bonding
What if the love you felt was real, but the relationship wasn't healthy?
Explore the psychology of romantic chemistry, infatuation, limerence, attachment, and trauma bonding. Blending relationship research with my own experiences of loving someone's potential, questioning my intuition, and losing myself in the process, this article explores how to recognize unhealthy patterns, remove the rose-colored glasses, and discover what healthy love actually looks like.
Because loving someone deeply should never require abandoning yourself.