Why Trauma Recovery Starts with Facing the Truth
Many people face trauma in their lives, but few talk about how to truly recover from it. Support is often limited. Systems meant to help survivors can leave them feeling more lost. As mental health gets more attention, more people now search for real ways to heal.
They want honest support, simple tools, and lasting results. Trauma recovery isn’t just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about learning how to live again with strength and clarity.
Alana Stott, MBE, has spent her life helping others do just that. She is a writer, producer, security expert, and founder of the Blue Rose Foundation.
Her work focuses on protecting women and children at risk. With over 25 years of experience, she has taken on many roles—from debt collector and hotel manager to nonprofit leader and bestselling author.
In this article, we explore how Alana faced trauma, found healing, and turned her pain into action. We’ll learn how she balances family life, builds a mission-driven business, uses plant medicine, and pushes for stronger laws.
Alana Stott’s Trauma Recovery Journey and Path Toward Advocacy
Alana grew up in Aberdeen, Scotland. After her parents divorced, her mother raised the children alone. Money was tight. At 11, Alana started working in a café to help with daily needs. When her mother became sick, she took on more.
She helped with bills and worked in sales jobs. Soon after, her mother passed away. Her younger brother’s father gained custody and moved to England. Alana followed him to stay close. She worked in hotels to support herself. These years taught her responsibility early and shaped her inner strength.
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A Traumatic Event That Changed Everything
At 16, Alana faced a serious sexual trauma. Reporting it brought her into a painful legal process. The support she expected wasn’t there.
Key challenges she faced:
- Lack of support during the legal process – The focus stayed on her actions, not the wrongdoing.
- Invasive and cold medical procedures – The experience felt harsh and without care.
- Community pressure and intimidation – Other victims stepped back due to fear and silence.
- Courtroom humiliation – She was asked about her choices instead of what had happened.
Still, Alana didn’t step away. She stayed with the case and stood firm.
From Survival to Advocacy
These events showed her the deep flaws in the system. Instead of staying quiet, she chose to help others. She worked with survivors and raised funds to improve support.
This became the first step in her advocacy journey. Years later, she founded the Blue Rose Foundation. She wanted to offer care, support, and hope to others facing trauma. SAO, her path began with hardship but turned into purpose.
How to Balance Trauma Recovery and Family Life
When Alana Stott became a mother, she left work to support Dean’s career. Over time, she felt like she lost herself. Her love for her daughter was deep, but her main feeling was the need to protect her.
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That made her realize she needed to reconnect with who she was. She knew she had to find her own purpose again while still caring for her child.
So, she returned to work that mattered to her. She and Dean agreed they both needed roles that gave meaning each day. That helped them stay strong through the tough times.
Key Points That Helped Her Regain Balance:
- She returned to meaningful work while raising her daughter.
- She and Dean supported each other’s purpose equally.
- They built a routine that allowed them to work and parent.
- They accepted that hard years would come and worked through them together.
Making Dangerous Work a Shared Effort
Their rescue and security work often involves serious risks. To manage it, they plan everything together. From safety travel, they handle it as a team.
This makes each mission feel shared, even when only one goes. Alana accepts the risk because Dean is doing what he loves. Asking him to quit would mean changing who he is.
Supporting Each Other Through Setbacks
When Dean got injured, Alana stepped in as the strong one. She helped him recover and start over. Later, when she needed support, Dean was there. They take turns holding each other up when needed.
How Did They Start Their Security Business?
They started their firm after seeing rescue services were too costly. Alana trained and handled planning.
- They trained together and created a trusted process.
- Alana handled planning and finances to keep missions on track.
- They offered pro bono help when people couldn’t afford it.
- They relied on their network for urgent support when needed.
In short, their goal was to help people first.
Why Alana Stott Started the Blue Rose Trauma Recovery Foundation
Most rescue missions don’t bring profit. In many cases, they cover costs themselves to help those in danger. While private security can bring in money, it’s often misused. Some companies charge far more than needed.
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For example, a man planned to spend $750,000 on security. Someone kept entering through an open gate. So, just closing the gate solved the problem.
Another firm quoted him a high fee without finding this simple fix. This shows the difference between honest work and profit-driven advice.
Working Behind the Scenes
Alana focuses on open-source intelligence. Her work includes background checks and risk reviews. She also helps nonprofits improve and guides donors to make smart choices.
When more funds became available for anti-trafficking efforts, many groups showed up. Some were solid. Others focused more on looking good than doing good. She saw strong, quiet teams get overlooked while flashy ones got funding.
Creating A Trusted Platform
To fix this, she started the Blue Rose Foundation. The goal is to support victims and help honest groups grow.
Foundation Goals and Focus Areas:
- Support Real Anti-Trafficking Work: Backs strong teams doing proven work in the field.
- Guide Donors to the Right People: Connects funds with groups making real progress, not just noise.
- Push for Legal Change: Focuses on banning grooming before abuse starts.
- Raise Public Awareness: Supports films and media that show how grooming works in real life.
- Prevent, Don’t Just Rescue: The goal is to stop harm before it happens—not just act after the damage is done.
In short, they help the right people, fix weak systems, and push for real change.
How does Plant Medicine Support Trauma Recovery and Healing?
Many people carry hidden pain for years. It shows up as stress, illness, or emotional burnout. Plant medicine can help release that pain and bring calm back.
Image Credits: Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels
Healing the Body Through the Mind
Sometimes, trauma gets stored deep in the body. It affects how things work, even digestion and sleep. One example was years of using laxatives because the body couldn’t work on its own.
Medical help didn’t fix it. But during one healing session, the body relaxed. Everything started working again, naturally and without medicine. That moment showed how much pain the body had held.
Why Mental Healing Matters
Most people deal with pain by pushing it down. They take pills to feel better. But pills only hide the pain. The root stays inside. Over time, this can lead to more illness, mood swings, or feeling lost.
When used safely and with support, plant medicine helps bring that pain to the surface. Then, it can be released. Healing isn’t only for trauma survivors. It can help anyone feeling stuck or disconnected. Many say it helped them find peace, love themselves, and feel alive again.
A Better Way Forward
- Veterans use it to treat trauma and feel more present.
- It helps people move away from pills and toward full healing.
- Breathwork and meditation add more support to the process.
This type of healing isn’t quick. But it’s real. It helps people feel safe, clear, and calm again. When more people find peace, we all live in a better world.
Conclusion
Trauma recovery takes time, but it’s possible with the right support, tools, and care. Alana Stott’s story shows how pain can push someone to grow stronger. She faced loss, trauma, and pressure but chose to take action instead of staying silent.
She found strength by returning to meaningful work, building a routine with her partner, and focusing on helping others. Her foundation now supports real rescue teams, guides donors, and works to change weak laws.
Plant medicine also played a key role in her healing. It helped her release years of stress and pain. Instead of hiding symptoms with pills, she faced the root cause. That gave her a deeper sense of peace and strength.
Her journey shows that healing is not about forgetting the past. It’s about learning how to live with it and move forward. Support, love, and the right tools can help anyone feel whole again. Whether you face trauma yourself or know someone who does, remember this: change starts small.
One step, one decision, and one care act can lead to a better future. Trauma may shape your story, but it doesn’t have to define it. You can heal, grow, and help others do the same with the right support.
FAQs
Can trauma recovery take years?
Yes. Healing takes time and looks different for everyone. Some feel better in months. Others need years.
Does trauma recovery mean forgetting what happened?
No. Recovery means learning how to live with what happened, not erasing it.
Can trauma recovery work without therapy?
Some people heal through other tools like support groups, plant medicine, or self-care. Therapy helps, but it’s not the only way.
Is trauma recovery possible if the trauma happened in childhood?
Yes. Childhood trauma can be healed. It may take more time, but healing is always possible.
Can exercise support trauma recovery?
Yes. Movements like walking or yoga can help calm the mind and release stress from the body.
