The Healing Cottage, 119 N. Belair Road, Evans, GA (2026)

08/30/2026

Historically, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) became one of the most widely accepted and researched trauma treatments. It helped move the field forward by recognizing the impact of trauma and providing a structured framework for treatment. It remains an evidence based approach that can be beneficial for some individuals.

However, our understanding of trauma has grown significantly over the last several decades.

Today, neuroscience shows us that trauma affects much more than thoughts. Trauma impacts the nervous system, the body, attachment patterns, emotional regulation, relationships, and a person’s sense of safety.

For individuals with PTSD and especially Complex PTSD, healing requires more than changing thoughts.

Trauma is not simply a thinking problem. It is a whole person experience.

For years, many trauma survivors were treated primarily through cognitive approaches and exposure based interventions. While exposure therapy can be helpful in certain situations and for certain diagnoses, I have personally worked with veterans and other trauma survivors who were pushed through exposure based approaches that left them feeling overwhelmed, retraumatized, and significantly worse. I have seen clients come from other treatment programs reporting increased symptoms, deeper dysregulation, and complete regression after being repeatedly exposed to traumatic material before adequate safety, stabilization, and nervous system regulation had been established.

A whole lot of training, research, self learning, curiosity and experiences with clients has shaped how I practice today.

I know better for my clients with PTSD and Complex PTSD, so I do better for and with them.

Before we process trauma, we must build safety. Safety is nonnegotiable in trauma healing.

It is foundational.

Safety in life.

Safety in the body.

Safety in relationships.

Safety within oneself.

Many trauma survivors have never truly experienced these forms of safety. Their nervous systems have spent years, sometimes decades, preparing for danger. So, asking them to revisit traumatic experiences before establishing safety can overwhelm an already overburdened system.

Research continues to show that healing occurs when the nervous system can begin to experience regulation, connection, and security. As Dr. Stephen Porges states, “Safety is the treatment.”

That is why my approach is integrative.

I use evidence and faith based interventions, including elements of TF-CBT when appropriate, but I also incorporate:

• EMDR and trauma processing

• Nervous system regulation

• Somatic and body based interventions

• Attachment focused healing

• Inner child work

• Relational repair

• Faith integration

• Mind, body, and spiritual healing

I do not believe trauma survivors need someone to tell them to simply think differently.

I believe they need a safe relationship, a regulated nervous system, compassionate support, and tools that address the whole person.

When people feel safe enough to reconnect with their bodies, process their experiences, and develop secure connections, healing becomes possible.

When we know more about trauma, we can offer more complete care.

That is the heart behind the work I do with clients every day.

08/23/2026

Imagine being small in a house full of grown-ups who are tired, and stressed, and stretched thin past what they can hold.

Maybe the difficult ones aren’t the children at all.

So much of what we call misbehavior in our kids is actually communication. A nervous system doing exactly what nervous systems do when it lives inside a home that holds tension it cannot name.

Children do not have the words yet for what they sense, so their bodies say it instead, in meltdowns and slammed doors and the sudden refusal to put on shoes. The screaming, the whining, the “NO!”

Children borrow their regulation from us before they ever learn to carry their own. When we are anxious, and stressed, even if we speak with calm words and correct actions, they feel it in their bones … in their little spirits and nervous systems. When we are short, sharp, or irritated, they feel it even more intensely.

When we are calm, even in hard moments, something in them settles too. We are their weather system long before they have words to speak.

Listen please, this is not about guilt. It is about awareness, and about grace, both for them and for ourselves. We cannot pour calm from an empty vessel, and so tending our own dysregulation, our own exhaustion, our own unhealed places, becomes some of the most important parenting work there is.

So today, before we ask what is wrong with the child in front of us, maybe the more important question is this: what is the world around them asking their little body to carry?

How am I contributing to their mental health or dysregulation?

Be healthy so your children can be healthy. Children learn what they live.

Image by Little Pine Learners

08/14/2026

When a mom says “I’m not okay,” please listen to her.

Not “she’ll be okay.”
Not “she’s strong.”
Not “she always figures it out.”
Not “she’s a mom…that’s what moms do.”

Stop what you are doing.
Listen.

I’ve been following the Lindsay Clancy case only a brief time and regardless of what we believe about her guilt or criminal responsibility, there is something about this story that should make every one of us pay attention.

Three children are dead.
Their mother is on trial.
The prosecution says her actions were deliberate; her defense says she was suffering from severe postpartum mental illness and was not criminally responsible.

All I can see is a broken woman, who has been begging for help, for a long time.

We do not need a verdict to talk about the fact that a mother was saying she wasn’t okay.

Before that awful day, Lindsay had sought psychiatric care, called crisis hotlines, struggled with suicidal thoughts, and even admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital.

Whether you believe she is guilty or not, whether you believe mental illness explains her actions or doesn’t, we should be able to agree that mothers asking for help need to be taken seriously!

We’ve created this strange expectation that moms are somehow indestructible.

She’s exhausted? That’s motherhood.

She’s overwhelmed? We all are.

She’s crying? She just needs a break.

She says she can’t do this anymore?
She doesn’t mean it.

She’s falling apart? Don’t worry. She’s strong.

…but sometimes “I’m not okay” actually means I’m not okay.

Strength is not an unlimited resource.

Being a mother does not magically protect a woman from depression, anxiety, psychosis, trauma, exhaustion, or reaching the absolute end of what she can carry and many times carry this alone.

Something I don’t see anyone talking about… A meta-analysis of 19 cohort studies found low marital satisfaction was the strongest predictor of postpartum major depressive disorder, with women in low-satisfaction marriages roughly 3.5 times more likely to develop PPD than those in satisfying marriages. Low marital satisfaction was the most significant predictor of postpartum major depressive disorder.

So check on the moms in your life… especially the strong ones. Especially the ones who normally handle everything. When one of them finally has enough courage to say, “I need help,” don’t remind her how strong she is.

Help her.

Don’t assume she’ll survive it because she’s a mom and “that’s what moms do.”

Sometimes the strongest thing a mother will ever say is…

“I can’t carry this by myself anymore.”

…somebody needs to believe her.

I will believe you. ❤️‍🩹
I’m here.

Amanda Hullum

08/08/2026

Growth rarely feels comfortable.

The habits, beliefs, and survival strategies that once protected you can become the very things that keep you stuck. Healing asks you to make a different choice, sometimes daily, sometimes moment by moment.

What happened to you was not your choice, it wasn’t your fault…But what you do with your story today is within your control.

Every time you choose awareness over avoidance, truth over denial, connection over isolation, and healing over hiding, you take another step forward.

The legacy you leave does not have to be one of pain. It can be one of healing, grace, resilience, and health for the generations that follow.

Choose growth again today.

06/30/2026

There is something powerful about sitting with women who truly understand your pain.

Not because they have all the answers. Not because they’re completely “over it.” But because they’ve walked through the fire of betrayal and discovered that healing is possible.

If you’ve experienced infidelity or betrayal, you do not have to carry it alone.

“ He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3

Up From the Ashes is a betrayal trauma support group for women who are ready to heal, grow, and find hope again in a safe, supportive community.

📍 Evans, GA

📅 Begins Tuesday, August 4

⏰ 7:15 PM to 8:30 PM

💲 $45 per session, materials included

This group combines practical tools, biblical truth, compassionate support, and guidance from someone trained in betrayal trauma recovery who has also walked this journey personally.

If this speaks to your heart, if you’ve been waiting to find others who truly understand your pain…text “HEALING,” to 706.564.7827 for more information.

You don’t have to walk through this alone. ❤️

06/23/2026

Men were never meant to fight alone.

Too many men carry shame, addiction, wounds from the past, broken relationships, and spiritual battles in silence. They appear strong on the outside while struggling on the inside.

WarPath: Men of Integrity is a 29-week discipleship journey designed to help men reclaim the life God intended.

WarPath addresses both spiritual growth and the underlying wounds, beliefs, and patterns that often keep men stuck."

This group combines biblical truth, trauma-informed healing, accountability, and authentic brotherhood.

Each session includes:

• Video supplementation
• Trauma recovery and personal growth work
• Honest discussion and accountability
• Support and encouragement from other men walking the same path
• Practical tools to help create lasting change

Through biblical teaching, brotherhood, accountability, and practical tools for transformation, men learn to:

• Heal childhood wounds and past hurts
• Break free from destructive patterns
• Retrain unhealthy thinking
• Build lives of honesty and integrity
• Strengthen their faith
• Restore relationships with those they love
• Walk in freedom instead of shame

This is not a place for perfect men. It is a place for honest men.

📅 Beginning July 6, 2026

🕡 Every Other Monday, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

📍 The Healing Cottage of the CSRA

Investment:
• $40 per group session
• $15 monthly Soul Refiner membership for study guides, member online portal access, and an extensive video library to support your journey between sessions.

If you are tired of fighting alone, there is a seat at this table for you.

Text "WARPATH" to 706-339-1020 for information or registration.

06/16/2026

Post below by Amanda Hullum . She’s now accepting new clients for parenting sessions.

“I Can’t Wait for These Kids to Go Back to School…”
“Is school back in yet?”
“I can’t wait to send you back to school.”

I know many parents say it jokingly. Sometimes it’s spoken from genuine exhaustion or a moment of overwhelm. Summer can be a lot. The constant snacks, the messes, the noise, the sibling arguments, & the lack of personal space can leave even the most regulated parent feeling overwhelmed.

If we’re not careful, the words our children hear repeatedly can settle into places we never intended.

When a child constantly hears, “I can’t wait for you to go back to school,” they likely do not hear, “Mom is tired.”
They probably hear…
“You’re too much.”
“You’re a burden.”
“Life is easier when you’re gone.”

Children were never meant to carry the emotional weight of adult exhaustion.

Scripture reminds us…

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21

Our words help shape how our children see themselves.

The reality is that many of the struggles families experience during summer aren’t because children are a problem. It’s because the structure that helped regulate everyone throughout the school year has suddenly disappeared.

Children thrive with rhythm, predictability, healthy sleep, good nutrition, movement, responsibilities, and clear expectations. Heck, so do adults. When routines disappear, many children become dysregulated emotionally, physically, and behaviorally.
Parents become exhausted.
Kids become irritable.
The home feels chaotic.

Summer doesn’t need to be rigid, but it does need some order…

• Consistent bedtimes
• Predictable meal times
• Chores and responsibilities
• Outdoor play and movement (whatever you think is enough… add an hour to it)
• Limited screen time (I can’t stress this enough)
• Intentional downtime for parents

A well rested parent with healthy boundaries and moments to recharge is far more equipped to enjoy their children than a parent running on empty.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed this summer, don’t carry the guilt and frustration alone. Parenting was never meant to be done in isolation.

Need help creating healthy routines, addressing behavior challenges, or restoring peace in your home? I’d be honored to help.

Message me to schedule a parenting session. Sometimes a few practical adjustments can completely change the atmosphere of your home.

Summer is short…& there are only so many that we get with them.

Commit to making it a time that your children remember as a season where they were welcomed, planned for, celebrated, enjoyed, and loved well. ❤️

06/15/2026

June is PTSD Awareness Month, and I can’t think of a more meaningful time to share this with you.

My new book, I’m Not What Happened to Me: A Trauma-Informed Workbook to Help You Heal from C-PTSD, is now available on Amazon, and I am still sitting with the quiet wonder of how it came to be.

It started as a homework assignment. Somewhere in the middle of the work, it became something else entirely – a workbook woven through with bits of my own story, with an epilogue at the end that opens the door a little wider into where I have been and what I have learned.

So much of the pain we carry comes from believing that what happened to us is what we are. We believe that the wound, the abuse, is the whole story. This workbook was created to walk alongside you toward a different truth – that you are not what happened to you.

You never were.

If those words land somewhere tender in you today, this book was written for you.

The link to order is in the comments. Share it with someone who needs it.

05/03/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is “More Good Days, Together.”

I love that. Not perfect days. Not healed-all-the-way days. Just more good ones.

Some of you know what it costs just to get out of bed some mornings. To hold it together through the carpool line, the meeting, the dinner you made even though you were running on empty. You’ve been carrying things quietly for a long time, and quiet carrying is exhausting work.
This month is a gentle invitation to stop and ask yourself the question that gets skipped most often: How am I, really?

Mental health isn’t a crisis-only conversation. It lives in the small things, in the sleep you can’t seem to get, the joy that stopped showing up, the way your shoulders stay tense and close to your ears. It lives in the relationships that feel strained, the memories you work hard not to think about, the version of yourself you remember being and wonder if you’re still in there somewhere.

You are .

Here’s what I want you to know about good days: they don’t always look the way you think they will.

Sometimes a good day is drinking your coffee while it’s still hot. Texting back the friend you’ve been avoiding. Saying no to something that was draining you. Sitting outside for ten minutes without your phone. Crying in the car and then walking inside anyway. Asking for help with one small thing. These aren’t failures of healing. They ARE healing, the slow and unglamorous kind that doesn’t make highlight reels but changes everything over time.

Progress accumulates quietly, the way morning light fills a room, not all at once but gradually, until you look up and realize you can see again.

Healing isn’t linear, and it isn’t as fast as you’d like it to be , but it is possible.

I see it happen in real time, in the quiet space of my offices, week after week. People who came in feeling broken finding that they are not, in fact, beyond repair. Just in need of someone to sit with them in the hard places.

If you’ve been on the fence about reaching out for support, let this be your nudge. You are not too far gone. You are not too complicated. You are not a burden. You are a human being made for wholeness, and wholeness is still available to you.

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” Isaiah 61:1

04/24/2026

I watched Trust Me: The False Prophet on Netflix last night, and I sat with the sad truth of it long after the screen went dark.

Spiritual abuse is real. It hides in holy language. It wraps control in the robes of “anointing,”and it silences the ones who dare to say, “Something is wrong here.”
I know something of that power and control that gets exerted in the name of God.

There were seasons in my own life when I stood against it, when I named what was being done in the name of God, when I made leaders angry because I refused to make their comfort and lies more important than someone’s safety. Standing for what is right in unholy spaces can cost you deeply. The ones who hold spiritual power do not always receive truth-tellers with grace. Actually, they never do. I’ve been called “Judas” and “Jezebel” among other things. I’ve been threatened and ostracized. Let me tell you from experience you can stand up against spiritual abuse and you can heal.

If you have been wounded by a church, a pastor, or a spiritual authority who used their position to diminish, control, shame, or silence you, I want you to know something quite true: what was done to you was not God. The One who formed you does not weaponize your faith against you.
Spiritual abuse leaves layered kinds of wounds. Wounds woven into theology, into prayer, into the very places you once ran for refuge. Healing from it requires someone who understands both the clinical and the sacred.
That and more is the work we do at The Healing Cottage.
You are allowed to heal. You are allowed to question. You are allowed to name what hurt you, even when it wore a collar or carried a Bible.

You and your story are safe here. 🌱

The Healing Cottage

08/30/2026

08/23/2026

08/14/2026

08/08/2026

06/30/2026

06/23/2026

06/16/2026

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