Life can be tough sometimes, and we can all be affected by something traumatic, but having a positive person or a support team around us can make a huge difference.
Frizti Horstman is that support person for so many incarcerated people. She's a mother, a wife, and a Grammy Award winner who created Compassion Prison Project.
Since 2019, Horstman has personally uplifted more than 2,500 men and women by focusing on their mental health and childhood trauma.
"Awareness changes everything, and we're also bringing inspiration and hope," Horstman told Heroes Host Heather Jordan. "When you realize that you're not a bad person, you do things, and you plan things that you never would have if you didn't realize that there's a possible life for you that you've never imagined."
She says there are 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) like abuse or parents getting a divorce that lead to trauma.
"We found that 64% of the people living in prison have six or more adverse childhood experiences, and it's a game changer when they realize that they're not bad people, but they've behaved the way they've behaved because of their trauma," Horstman said.
She said that the shift in cognition changes not only the way people feel about themselves but also their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Horstman shares this wisdom born of her own experience with trauma, saying, "If I'm traumatized and my behavior can heal, their behavior can heal. And that's gonna change the world."
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the nonprofit will host its annual fundraiser on the 8th. Click HERE to learn more.
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