Speaking Our Silence

Lindagail grew up with and abusive mother who self-medicated her pain with alcohol. As a result, she married two abusive men who self-medicated their pain with alcohol and came to see abuse as a normal and expected part of life. At age 27 she began experiencing post traumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms presented as flashbacks, nightmares, complex depression, mind-racing, anxiety and dissociation. Her journey is not unique. The mental illness she experienced was a direct result of the abuse she survived as a child, teen and young mother.

Lindagail is a volunteer speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She also speaks on behalf of domestic abuse organizations. While working at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), she developed and led a campus-wide Sexual Assault & Harassment Awareness Campaign.

She’s speaks and writes so other survivors will know they are not alone. Her upcoming memoir, Swallowing the Silence, is a survival story and illustrates the ramifications of an abusive childhood. By sharing her journey, loved ones and those in the recovery fields will gain a better understanding of barriers survivors face as they journey to heal.