"When I write about my early years, I reflect on my trauma and how it has shaped me. Writing has become my anchor – a tool – a way for me to process what I’ve been through – a way to make sense of things – the things I’ve had to emotionally deal with on my own. It is through this process that I’ve learned to validate my emotions, giving space to the deep-seated sense of injustice that lingers. The anger tied to those moments, the weight of what I endured, requires an acknowledgment. Trauma, no matter how it presents, deserves recognition. How does one come to terms with something they were never fully aware of – like a disability they didn’t know they had?

My emotions are so impaired that grieving isn't something I am able to do. Instead, I've replaced it with creating space through my writing, to allow my emotions to be expressed freely. It is because of autism that I struggle to articulate and verbalise how I feel – with what I want to say and how to say it. Instead, through my writing, where my thoughts are free flow, my inner reflections help me to process my trauma and a life of struggles. Without any apologies, it's something I shall have to acknowledge, and will have to place instead.

Writers Voice: I came across this meaning of "writer's voice" which sums its definition up beautifully. So what is it? To me, your writer’s voice is the expression of YOU on the page. It’s that simple—and that complicated. Your voice is all about honesty. It’s the unfettered, non-derivative, unique conglomeration of your thoughts, feelings, passions, dreams, beliefs, fears and attitudes, coming through in every word you write. (Source: rachellegardnercom)

The CP Diary is the truthful, unfettered, conglomeration of my thoughts, feelings, beliefs, fears and attitude coming through in every word I write. Like others, living with trauma, acknowledgement is the first step towards healing – it's also recognising the reality of the trauma, and its injustice. It’s taking the time to understand the lasting impact it’s had on you and your life. It's about working through those experiences.

For me, writing, isn't just about observing my experiences, it's engaging with the reality of my situation and finding an acceptance. It's a way for me to process and draw on my thoughts and insights, to help me articulate my experiences, of how I feel. I use creative expression through my blog to understand and to try to come to terms with my trauma, peeling back the layers of my experiences. What matters most for me, is letting my writing guide my journey towards healing and justice.

Without realising it, writing is my justice. It gives me a voice – a voice for the silenced. It allows me to preserve and bask in the truth and through writing to challenge sustained unjust treatment and prolonged cruelty. Through my words, I hold those responsible – accountable, they know what they have done – while creating space for understanding. Writing transforms my pain into awareness for others, turning my story into the catalyst for change. Justice lies in its ability to educate, and to inspire. My words carry the power to shift perspectives, for others too. I hope my writing can change others' opinions and support change.

When I write I am no longer invisible. It's an act of defiance – reaffirming that my experiences mattered, that what happened to me deserves recognition – my writing helps me to reclaim agency and ask that the world listens and doesn't look away.