Invisible Bruises: The Scars You Can't See (b/w art inside)

From the outside, Carla's life appeared enviable. But behind closed doors, she was quietly unraveling. Raised by a mother with undiagnosed mental illness and a loving yet codependent father, Carla learned early to carry impossible burdens in silence, turning her wounds inward as toxic shame, anxiety, self-sabotage, and chronic health challenges.

With honesty, vulnerability, moments of unexpected humor, and collage art throughout the book, Carla invites readers behind the curtain of a life that looked fine from the outside but felt anything but. She reveals what happens when trauma goes unnamed and unspoken, and what it takes to finally confront it.

More than a memoir about complex trauma, this is a story of reclaiming identity. It is the journey of one woman finding the courage to stop hiding, begin healing, and uncover the person she was always meant to be beneath the layers of survival strategies. At its heart, this is about what happens when survival is no longer enough, and of the brave, often messy journey of coming home to yourself.

Written for survivors, people determined to break a trauma bond, anyone who has ever worn a mask to cover a quiet internal storm, or who wants to understand more about complex trauma itself, this book strips away the isolation of invisible wounds. Carla provides a mirror for the unspoken realities of relational trauma while offering a gentle companion for the long road afterward.

Inside this memoir, you will explore:

• The Burden of Secrecy: The exhausting reality of navigating a parent's undiagnosed illness while managing the family's emotional architecture in silence.
• The Toll of Untreated Trauma: How unnamed psychological wounds manifest physically as chronic health challenges and mentally as self-sabotage and toxic shame.
• Dismantling Survival Strategies: The profound process of identifying the protective masks we build in childhood and finding the courage to shed them as adults.
• The Road to Integration: What true recovery looks like when you stop hiding, begin actively healing, and commit to the beautiful, non-linear process of self-reclamation.

If you are ready to look beneath the surface, confront the hidden layers of your own story, and begin the brave journey of coming home to who you truly are, scroll up and grab your copy today. Note: This version has black & white interior art.