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We Survived, and We Are Thriving With Jessica Buchanan
In October, 2011, Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped while working as a humanitarian aid worker in Somalia and held captive for 93 days. During that time, she discovered that even when her options were painfully limited, she could still make choices about how she cared for her body, where she placed her attention, and what she chose to believe.
After being rescued by SEAL Team Six, Jessica returned home and became pregnant just days later. Still healing from captivity, illness, grief, and trauma, she entered motherhood and experienced severe postpartum depression, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD.
In this deeply honest conversation, Jessica shares why motherhood required her to call on reserves of strength she did not know she had—even after surviving captivity.
We talk about:
• Finding purpose after life falls apart
• The difference between options and choices
• Learning to trust your intuition
• Finding safety within yourself when life feels unsafe
• The emotional and physical toll of telling a trauma story
• Pregnancy and motherhood after captivity
• Postpartum depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and PTSD
• Why gratitude does not erase suffering
• The shame mothers can feel when motherhood is harder than expected
• The healing power of having someone believe in you
• Why thriving does not mean feeling happy or calm all the time
• Using painful experiences in meaningful service to others
One of the most powerful moments in this conversation comes when Jessica remembers what a therapist told her during pregnancy: She had survived captivity without losing her mind, and she could survive becoming a mother, too.
Jessica chose to believe her.
Today, her children are nearly 14 and 12. She does not pretend that their journey has been easy. But she can now say: “We survived, and we are thriving.”
Thriving does not mean everything feels good. It means developing a deep internal trust that even when life is hard, you can find your way through.
Please note: This episode includes discussion of kidnapping, violence, miscarriage, suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts, postpartum depression, anxiety, and trauma.
Learn more about Jessica: https://www.jessbuchanan.com/
Read Jessica’s book, Impossible Odds.
Connect with Jessica on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Learn more about Soul Speak Press and its work helping women share their survivor stories.
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By Kate Kripke
4.9
5656 ratings
In October, 2011, Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped while working as a humanitarian aid worker in Somalia and held captive for 93 days. During that time, she discovered that even when her options were painfully limited, she could still make choices about how she cared for her body, where she placed her attention, and what she chose to believe.
After being rescued by SEAL Team Six, Jessica returned home and became pregnant just days later. Still healing from captivity, illness, grief, and trauma, she entered motherhood and experienced severe postpartum depression, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD.
In this deeply honest conversation, Jessica shares why motherhood required her to call on reserves of strength she did not know she had—even after surviving captivity.
We talk about:
• Finding purpose after life falls apart
• The difference between options and choices
• Learning to trust your intuition
• Finding safety within yourself when life feels unsafe
• The emotional and physical toll of telling a trauma story
• Pregnancy and motherhood after captivity
• Postpartum depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and PTSD
• Why gratitude does not erase suffering
• The shame mothers can feel when motherhood is harder than expected
• The healing power of having someone believe in you
• Why thriving does not mean feeling happy or calm all the time
• Using painful experiences in meaningful service to others
One of the most powerful moments in this conversation comes when Jessica remembers what a therapist told her during pregnancy: She had survived captivity without losing her mind, and she could survive becoming a mother, too.
Jessica chose to believe her.
Today, her children are nearly 14 and 12. She does not pretend that their journey has been easy. But she can now say: “We survived, and we are thriving.”
Thriving does not mean everything feels good. It means developing a deep internal trust that even when life is hard, you can find your way through.
Please note: This episode includes discussion of kidnapping, violence, miscarriage, suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts, postpartum depression, anxiety, and trauma.
Learn more about Jessica: https://www.jessbuchanan.com/
Read Jessica’s book, Impossible Odds.
Connect with Jessica on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Learn more about Soul Speak Press and its work helping women share their survivor stories.