"What If I Am Not Broken?" by Aimee Casemiro Ferreira

trauma-informed book for women who are tired of fixing themselves.

Before you read, you might want to listen.

This song was written as a companion to this chapter, not to inspire you, but to sit with you.

You don’t need to focus on the words.

Let it play while you breathe, scroll, or simply pause.

You can come back to this song anytime.

It’s free, and it stays that way.

Chapter 1

Why Affirmations Don’t Work (And Why That Doesn’t Mean You’re Broken)

Let’s be honest for a second.

If affirmations actually worked the way the internet claims they do, every woman would be living her dream life right now.

We’d all be confident, rich, regulated, well-hydrated, and dating emotionally available men who go to therapy without being asked.

But here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud:

Affirmations are cute.

But they don’t work for most women.

At least not for women who’ve been through real shit.

They work great for people who already have high self-esteem.

They work great for people who already trust themselves.

They work great for people whose nervous systems aren’t fried like an overworked iPhone battery stuck on 3%.

For the rest of us?

Affirmations can feel like gaslighting.

The first time I ever tried affirmations, I whispered into the mirror:

  • I am worthy.

  • I am radiant.

  • I am wildly confident.

And my inner voice immediately replied:

“Girl… you are exhausted. And dehydrated. Please be serious.”

And I know I’m not alone.

Because here’s the part no one tells you:

Affirmations often backfire.

When you repeat something you don’t believe, your brain doesn’t say,

“Yay! New belief unlocked!”

It says,

“Absolutely not. That’s a lie.”

Your subconscious isn’t rude, it’s consistent.

It’s trying to protect you from disappointment, delusion, or danger.

So when you tell yourself:

  • “I am beautiful” — and you don’t feel beautiful

  • “I am wealthy” — and your bank account is screaming

  • “I am confident” — while you’re spiraling

your brain rejects it.

This isn’t negativity.

This is pattern protection.

Your brain is a little accountant.

It keeps receipts.

And it does not accept new beliefs without evidence.

If you’ve survived:

  • chaotic childhoods

  • financial instability

  • abandonment

  • emotionally dysregulated or narcissistic caregivers

  • toxic relationships

  • raising kids with zero support

  • chronic survival mode

  • religious trauma

  • trauma you didn’t even have language for at the time

…your brain is not going to swallow a pretty sentence like a vitamin gummy.

It’s going to fight you.

And that fight is exhausting.

It’s why affirmations often make women feel worse — not better.


If this part felt uncomfortably accurate, you’re not alone.