Crime and Victimization
A Carjacking
A Home Invasion
A Physical Assault
Being Held Captive
Being Sexually Violated
Being Stalked
Being Treated as Property
Being Victimized by a Perpetrator Who Was Never Caught
Identity Theft
Witnessing a Murder
Disabilities and Disfigurements
A Learning Disability
A Physical Disfigurement
A Speech Impediment
A Traumatic Brain Injury
Battling a Mental Disorder
Being So Beautiful It’s All People See
Falling Short of Society’s Physical Standards
Infertility
Living With Chronic Pain or Illness
Losing a Limb
Losing One of the Five Senses
Sexual Dysfunction
Social Difficulties
Failures and Mistakes
Accidentally Killing Someone
Bearing the Responsibility for Many Deaths
Being Legitimately Incarcerated for a Crime
Caving to Peer Pressure
Choosing Not to Be Involved in a Child’s Life
Cracking Under Pressure
Declaring Bankruptcy
Failing at School
Failing to Do the Right Thing
Failing to Save Someone’s Life
Making a Very Public Mistake
Poor Judgment Leading to Unintended Consequences
Injustice and Hardship
An Abuse of Power
Becoming Homeless for Reasons Beyond One’s Control
Being Bullied
Being Falsely Accused of a Crime
Being Fired or Laid Off
Being Forced to Keep a Dark Secret
Being Forced to Leave One’s Homeland
Being the Victim of a Vicious Rumor
Being Unfairly Blamed for Someone’s Death
Experiencing Poverty
Living Through Civil Unrest
Living Through Famine or Drought
Prejudice or Discrimination
Unrequited Love
Wrongful Imprisonment
Misplaced Trust and Betrayals
A Sibling’s Betrayal
A Toxic Relationship
Abandonment Over an Unexpected Pregnancy
Being Disappointed by a Role Model
Being Disowned or Shunned
Being Let Down by a Trusted Organization or Social System
Being Rejected by One’s Peers
Childhood Sexual Abuse by a Known Person
Discovering a Partner’s Sexual Orientation Secret
Discovering a Sibling’s Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Financial Ruin Due to a Spouse’s Irresponsibility
Finding Out One Was Adopted
Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused
Getting Dumped
Having One’s Ideas or Work Stolen
Incest
Infidelity
Learning That One’s Parent Had a Second Family
Learning That One’s Parent Was a Monster
Losing a Loved One Due to a Professional’s Negligence
Misplaced Loyalty
Telling the Truth But Not Being Believed
Specific Childhood Wounds
A Nomadic Childhood
A Parent’s Abandonment or Rejection
Becoming a Caregiver at an Early Age
Being Raised by a Narcissist
Being Raised by an Addict
Being Raised by Neglectful Parents
Being Raised by Overprotective Parents
Being Raised by Parents Who Loved Conditionally
Being Sent Away as a Child
Being the Product of Rape
Experiencing the Death of a Parent as a Child or Youth
Growing Up in a Cult
Growing Up in Foster Care
Growing Up in the Public Eye
Growing Up in the Shadow of a Successful Sibling
Growing Up With a Sibling’s Disability or Chronic Illness
Having a Controlling or Overly Strict Parent
Having Parents Who Favored One Child Over Another
Living in a Dangerous Neighborhood
Living in an Emotionally Repressed Household
Living With an Abusive Caregiver
Not Being a Priority Growing Up
Witnessing Violence at a Young Age
Traumatic Events
A Child Dying on One’s Watch
A House Fire
A Life-Threatening Accident
A Loved One’s Suicide
A Miscarriage or Stillbirth
A Natural or Man-Made Disaster
A Parent’s Divorce
A School Shooting
A Terminal Illness Diagnosis
A Terrorist Attack
Being Humiliated by Others
Being Tortured
Being Trapped in a Collapsed Building
Being Trapped With a Dead Body
Divorcing One’s Spouse
Getting Lost in a Natural Environment
Giving Up a Child for Adoption
Having an Abortion
Having to Kill to Survive
Losing a Loved One to a Random Act of Violence
The Death of One’s Child
Watching Someone Die
See a sample entry: Accidentally Killing Someone
How to practice self-care when writing about emotional wounds