Healing Journey with Michele Vrabel

Finding Annie: Surviving Narcissism and Abuse

Episode Title: Healing Journey with Michele VrabelHost: AnniGuest: Michele Vrabel, Author of Butterfly Stitches: The Metamorphosis of Healing

Episode Summary

In today's powerful episode, Anni is joined by Michele Vrabel, author of Butterfly Stitches: The Metamorphosis of Healing. Michele shares her moving journey of surviving childhood abuse, navigating trauma, and finding true healing through faith, forgiveness, and resilience. She explains the deeper meaning behind her book’s title and how the metaphor of a "butterfly stitch" perfectly captures the slow, active process of emotional and spiritual healing.

Michele discusses:

• The importance of participating actively in your own healing journey

• How early childhood insight and faith helped her survive and heal

• The powerful, messy, and essential process of forgiveness — for others and for herself

• Breaking generational cycles of abuse within her family

• The deep emotional cost of unhealed trauma, including her experience with abortion and self-forgiveness

• Practical steps for healing, including writing out your story as a form of release

Anni and Michele also dive into why sharing your story is crucial for both personal healing and broader societal change, reminding listeners that vulnerability can be a bridge to freedom.

Key Takeaways

• Healing Is a Journey, Not a Moment: True healing requires participation, maintenance, and faith—like tending to a wound with a butterfly stitch.

• Forgiveness Is Essential: Forgiving those who hurt us—and forgiving ourselves—is necessary for full healing.

• Breaking Cycles: Trauma doesn't have to be repeated. Conscious choice and divine help can break generational patterns.

• Sharing Heals: Speaking your truth or writing your story—even if it’s just for yourself—can be a critical first step toward deep healing.

Resources Mentioned

• 📚 Michele’s Book: Butterfly Stitches: The Metamorphosis of Healinghttps://a.co/d/8NjcWtr

• 📖 Michele’s upcoming sequel: Outloud: The Sound of Healing (Expected September 2025)

Connect with Michele Vrabel

• Instagram: @sweetartbyshelly

• Facebook: Michele Vrabel

• Website: www.michelevrabel.com

Final Thoughts

If you're feeling weighed down by the pain of your past, Butterfly Stitches will inspire you to believe that healing is possible. Michele’s story is proof that we are not defined by what happened to us, but by how we rise and walk forward in grace and courage.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone who might need a message of hope today.