Vertical Moments: How a Traumatized Child Became a Trauma Therapist: A Memoir of the Hands That Reached Out to Me

“You shouldn’t be alive.” That’s what a doctor told Jack Stell after reading his medical file — and he wasn’t wrong. Vertical Moments is the true story of how a traumatized child survived abuse, electroshock treatments, and the long shadow of complex PTSD to become a trauma therapist who helps others heal.A powerful memoir of childhood trauma, resilience, and the healing journey that transformed a survivor into a healer. In Vertical Moments, Jack Stell shares an unforgettable account of survival, recovery, and the small acts of kindness that helped him rise from a childhood shaped by instability, fear, and profound abuse.From the chaos of his early years to the shock treatments that nearly erased him, Jack learned to survive by noticing the brief, vertical moments when someone reached out and held him up. Those moments became the map he followed into adulthood, military service, and eventually the long, winding path toward becoming a therapist for others living with PTSD and C‑PTSD.Told with clarity, heart, and unflinching honesty, Vertical Moments is both a survival memoir and a testament to the strength of the human spirit. Readers who have lived through trauma — and the clinicians who support them — will find hope, validation, and deep recognition in these pages.This inspiring memoir explores:surviving childhood trauma and complex PTSDthe impact of intergenerational trauma and how healing beginsthe resilience required to overcome childhood abusethe lived experience of PTSD and the journey toward recoveryhow a survivor became a trauma therapist and healerthe power of connection, compassion, and “vertical moments” that lift us upFor readers of trauma recovery stories, military veteran PTSD memoirs, and true accounts of resilience, Vertical Moments offers a deeply moving, beautifully written narrative of courage, healing, and the hands that reached out along the way. Read more