By Contributing Author,
Tracey Morrison
Each year, Mental Health Awareness Month (MHA) creates themes to support raising awareness while educating the public on mental illness. This year’s theme, “Turn Awareness into Action,” celebrates the progress made in recognizing the importance of mental health and challenges people to turn understanding into meaningful steps toward change.
The theme centers on Roxie Dewitt Dawson’s endeavor to transform awareness into action, as illustrated in her newly released book, “Chased by Trauma While Running into Paths of Healing.” Dawson raises mental health awareness with her book collections and through her profession as a marriage and family therapy professional, certified integrative wellness/life coach, certified grief counselor, and inspirational/transformational speaker.
On the outside, she does not look like what she went through. The long-time Fayetteville citizen has a friendly and bubbly personality that will light up the room while motivating others through the word of God. Her story is one of triumph over adversity, highlighting her strength and resilience. Despite the unimaginable trauma she endures, she continues to radiate hope.
THE UNTHINKABLE EXPERIENCE
The unthinkable experience happened to Dawson’s life when it came to trauma. In the summer of 1987, her firstborn son, Erran Zachary Dawson, died from an accidental gunshot at the age of four by her nephew, who was six years old at the time. God allow her to say goodbye to her child while calling him that morning before the tragic incident.
Over two decades after the tragic incident, she ended up adopting her nephew’s daughter, Sarah, after a family emergency in which she had to intervene to prevent her from going into Social Services’ custody. Sarah is the daughter of her nephew, who accidentally killed her son, Erran. What she initially believed would be a temporary situation ultimately became a long-term commitment.
She mentioned that she had always wanted a girl but never thought it would be in this situation that God would give her a daughter. She recounts the moment in which she heard God’s voice telling her that Sarah would be her daughter, and she doubted the voice until she realized that it was part of God’s plan. She shared that the situation taught her the power of God’s redemption, unconditional love, and forgiveness.
She managed to push herself while attending graduate school at the age of “58” in one of the accelerated Marriage & Family Therapy programs in the country while raising Sarah and seeing mental illness firsthand after seeing levels of her husband’s PTSD like never before. Just as she was healing from the loss of her firstborn, tragedy struck again on September 5, 2020, when she tragically lost her youngest son, Darius “DJ” Dawson, in a car accident.
THE PATH TO HEALING
Writing her newly released book was a way to share her story and a therapeutic process that aided in her healing. The title appeared in her spirit while she was writing it because when she looked at her life, it seemed like trauma had chased her all over the place, but she also managed to find the path to begin her healing.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), trauma is a wound, a psychological or emotional response to an event or experience that is difficult to forget. Trauma can even show up years later if not properly managed or healing has not taken place, according to the APA. In her book, she writes that 70% (223.4 million people) of adults in the USA have experienced some traumatic event at least once in their lifetime.
“The book is Holy Spirit inspired. If I’m going to write this book, I’m going to keep it 100,” she explained while adding that the Holy Spirit used her to pour herself into the book on various forms of trauma.
In her book, she described that trauma comes in different types of trauma including, but not limited to, childhood, adulthood, relationships, intergenerational, spiritual (church hurt), trauma from the womb, and socioeconomic and financial struggles.
“I wanted God to take this story as far as he goes. Let me go not as Roxie but as his servant. God has got to get the glory out of this testimony,” she added.
Dawson wrote another book before her current book titled, “Silenced by Arms…Children Are Dying,” in which she details the tragic incident of her firstborn. The book can be purchased through her website. Roxie and her family also commemorate Darius’ legacy each year by hosting the annual community event called Ruler Day. A scholarship is set up to honor Darius’ memory at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University.
Dawson has faced many challenges along her journey. The road to healing from her unhealed trauma has been long and arduous, yet she persevered through the storm while sharing with others how to protect themselves from the traumatic storm in their weather forecast.
People she encounters are often in awe of her story and inquiring how she endures. As a firm believer in God, she credits her strength with coming solely from Him.
“I had to allow God to use me in any way that Satan meant for evil and use it for his glory,” she exclaimed.
Readers can visit www.roxiedewittdawson to learn more about Roxie and to order a copy of her book, “Chased by Trauma While Running into Paths of Healing,” and can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook at Roxie Dewitt Dawson.
Readers can also learn more about the annual Ruler Day in honor of Darius Dawson’s legacy by liking and following “DJ Ruler Forever” on Facebook and Instagram.
