The Bradley Sonnenberg Wellness Series at Stephen Wise Temple Presents: “From Victim to Survivor: Meyli Chapin’s Story of Resilience.”
Wednesday, May 11, at 4 p.m. | Hillcrest Country Club | Register
Author and survivor Meyli Chapin.
Too often, the stories of survivors are shortened on their behalf; we hear that someone survived something terrible and now they are a motivational speaker or race car driver or extraordinary athlete. Those stories are beautiful and inspirational, but they are also, in a way, censored.
What happened between those two points? What happened after the terrible thing but before the person stepped into the spotlight as an inspiration? How does one survive? This is critical to understand, because unfortunately, almost all of us will experience trauma. To quote a very sad statistic, the majority of Americans will have survived at least one acute trauma by the time they are 45 years old.
Meyli Chapin was 26 when she was trapped in a terrorist attack for 17 long hours. She lived through the attack, but the mental fallout, in the form of PTSD, was nearly as traumatic as the attack itself. She struggled not only with insomnia, nightmares, panic attacks, and flashbacks, but also with deep depression and a secret desire to end her life and all of her suffering.
On May 11, she will join Andrea Sonnenberg in conversation, telling the story of the attack, the mental fallout, and her recovery. She will also talk about how helping others—through the creation of her app for survivors, Trauma Brace, and the release of her memoir, “Terrorist Attack Girl“—has helped her continue to heal.
It is a story riddled with darkness, but ultimately, it is a story of light and hope.
The event will last from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., and will take place at Hillcrest Country Club, located at 10000 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.
Register now, as space is limited.
You can download Meyli’s app from the Apple App Store.
About the Bradley Sonnenberg Wellness Series: The Bradley Sonnenberg Wellness Series at Stephen Wise Temple is sponsored by the Sonnenberg family in memory of their beloved son, whose own struggle with mental health inspires their continuing commitment to strengthening the wellness of the broader community. Bradley’s too-short life was marked by his profound talents, wisdom, and enduring love for his family. This program remains his legacy, on behalf of the Sonnenbergs, to his Stephen Wise community.