"Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain." -William Faulkner To my surprise my pain did not kill me. On the contrary, my traumatic experiences made me a stronger and wiser woman. My Pain Was Not in Vain tells my story of trauma and abuse from childhood through most of my adult life. Every person has a story even if that story is never told. Blessed is the individual who survives trauma and learns to live again. Learning to live again is good. It is better to learn to thrive after trauma. My Pain Was Not in Vain is a road map for people who have been abused misused and want to learn not only to live again but to thrive after trauma. Living is simply existing, functioning day after day. Thriving is healing from trauma then reaching out to help others heal from similar experiences. Only by helping others to heal do we realize our pain has purpose. My Pain Was Not in Vain offers self-help to individuals who want to find purpose after trauma.