Book excerpt: Fading Echoes is a book about childhood trauma and the healing of the inner child. It follows the stages of recovery, inspired by the five stages of grief, and ends with a chapter on self-discovery post-trauma. The poems include topics of death, depression and hopelessness but also caring and standing up for oneself. The book is a collection of poems written in a two-year-long period. The poetic rhymes capture the echoes of growing up in a religious environment and being raised by emotionally immature parents. Even though the chapters mark clear sections in the healing journey, the poems were not written in the order they were published - as healing is not linear. The title "Fading Echoes" represents how pain and suffering gradually become quieter and eventually transform into echoes, leaving more room for strength and resilience.