Christopher Carazas endured years of psychological abuse where his autism diagnosis was weaponized against him. After surviving a suicide attempt and later losing the partner who finally taught him he was lovable, Chris wrote "Now That I'm Still Here." In this episode, Beth and Chris discuss dismantling the lie of worthlessness, the reality of C-PTSD, and finding hope in the micro-moments.

Trigger warning: suicidal ideation and suicide

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:22 Who is Christopher Carazas Today?
05:58 When the Diagnosis Was Weaponized
10:18 The Pivot Point: The Psych Ward & The Mom
12:20 Small Wins & Shadow the Dog
14:00 Meeting Katie: Being Seen as Human
16:40 Tragedy & The Book "Now That I'm Still Here"
21:50 The Myth of the "Quick Fix" Cure
33:40 Finding the Courage to Speak Up
47:00 The Reality of Complex PTSD (Why Writing Wasn't Enough)
56:00 The 2020 Shift & The Lie of Worthlessness
01:07:00 The Greater Purpose of Pain

-- CONNECT WITH CHRISTOPHER CARAZAS --

✨ Book ("Now That I'm Still Here"): https://www.amazon.com/Now-That-Im-Still-Here/dp/B0CNW9FV3F
✨ Substack: https://substack.com/@ccarazas?utm_source=global-search

-- FREE RESOURCE --
✨ Download: The Healing Quick Start Guide → https://empoweredsurvivors.com/heal

-- WORK WITH BETH --

✨ Mentoring (1:1 / group) → https://empoweredsurvivors.com/work-with-me
✨ Speaking & Interviews → https://empoweredsurvivors.com/speaking
✨ Book: "Becoming an Empowered Survivor" → https://empoweredsurvivors.com/books

-- CONNECT WITH BETH --

✨ Website → https://empoweredsurvivors.com/
✨ TikTok → @BethJonesHEALingMentor
✨ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethjoneshealingmentor/