Allison Brunner

This story started out on an entirely different topic before this one grabbed the reigns. I didn’t think I’d ever share it publicly, and it took all of the courage and emotional energy in my well to tell it. I had to hold myself in exquisite self-care during the two weeks that I wrote it and hope that in doing so it helps someone else. I’m relieved to finally publish and want to extend a special thanks to the three men in my writer’s group who encouraged me to loosen my grip and trust what unfolds. This is an account of what happened when the “one who got away” came back into my life ten years later. What began as a dream-come-true reunion turned into something far more complicated: a love story blurred by projection, addiction, and the illusions I clung to. In this personal essay, I share the journey of falling for a man’s potential instead of the person in front of me — and what it took to finally face the truth, release the fantasy, and return to myself.

Story 2: The Mirage and the Mirror: What Happened When I Loved the Soul and Not the Man What happens when the “one who got away” comes back ten years later? I thought it was fate — but it turned into a story of illusion, codependence, and finall...

I’m sharing the story of how I found the nerve to write again after years of burnout, jaw pain, and self-doubt. Writing has always been my lifeline, but I had to learn how to return to it differently—with presence, sensitivity, and healing instead of pressure. If you’ve ever walked away from your creativity, or wondered if your voice still matters, I think you’ll find something here.

Finding My Nerve to Write Again is my story of leaving behind a career as a writer, burning out as a therapist, and slowly rediscovering my voice after years of silence.

In this essay, I share how physical pain in my jaw and body revealed deeper truths I couldn’t ignore, how vows I made shaped my path in ways I didn’t realize, and how stillness, nature, and Spirit have been teaching me a gentler way to live and create.

This piece is for anyone who has:
• set aside their creative voice and wonders if it still matters,
• carried the weight of others’ pain and longed to feel lighter,
• or needed courage to begin again after burnout or loss.

It’s about writing—but it’s also about healing, presence, and remembering that sensitivity is a gift, not a flaw.

If these words resonate, I’d love for you to stay connected. Subscribe to my YouTube channel until I rewrite my web site to reflect the new path I’m taking.

Story 1: Finding My Nerve to Write Again The Awkward Mystic: Falling Down, Getting up, and Waking upStory 1 - Finding My Nerve to Write AgainI’m sharing the story of how I found the nerve to write a...

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