Media & Press

About Laurie

Laurie Timms

is a writer pulling back the curtain on what it means to recover from trauma. She writes to help other survivors of “Big T” trauma understand they are not alone and that there is hope for a more “normal” life. In Perks of a Psychotic Break, she shares her own life’s fraught journeys to expose the persistent stigmas around mental health and shine a light on the path for others to find their own ways to heal.

She hopes to help catalyze other survivors to reconnect with themselves and begin to heal the traumas at the root of so many mental health issues. Her mental break was the best thing that ever happened to her. It was a turning point that helped her face and recover from multiple traumas she had worked so hard to avoid thinking about. Her hope is that her story of both what happened to her and how she recovered will help other women break free from the shame and despair they may feel after trauma.

Short Bio

Laurie Timms is a writer and community-builder whose work aims to banish the stigma around mental illness and trauma recovery. With the care and humor of a friend, Laurie commiserates with survivors through the pain, heartache, and confusion that so many women experience. She also offers first hand examples of what helped her heal, in her monthly email, Perks of a Psychotic Break. Laurie lives in coastal Northern California with her husband and daughter. Besides her favorite pastime (writing), she spends time hiking, traveling, skiing, cooking, and reading books.

Longer Bio

Laurie Timms is a writer and community-builder whose work aims to banish the stigma around mental illness and trauma recovery, especially for women who have experienced physical abuse. In Perks of a Psychotic Break, she shares her own story of how a brush with psychosis became a blessing in disguise. Years after suspected (yet denied by family) abuse, Laurie’s mental break helped her face and recover from molestation, rape, and domestic violence. With the care and humor of a friend, Laurie commiserates with survivors through the pain, heartache, and confusion that so many women experience. And offers first hand examples of what helped her heal.

1 in 6 U.S. women have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime, yet these tough subjects are still often considered taboo. It’s time to shed light on the lasting effects these abuses have and provide tangible hope for better futures.

Just as the stories of the #MeToo movement forever changed our society’s awareness and support for sexual assault survivors and put names to the faces of grim statistics, so Laurie adds her story to those who’ve survived multiple traumas. Healing is rarely a straight line but Laurie has done the work to get her. She offers understanding and hope for women on their journey back to embracing themselves. Even if they’ve already had a breakdown, feel like they’re on the brink of one, have made mistakes, or feel unworthy–she’s been there and knows how to help.

Laurie lives in coastal Northern California with her husband and daughter. Besides her favorite pastime (writing), she spends time hiking, traveling, skiing, cooking, and reading books.