River Jordan Inc. is partnering with local organizations to deliver I Changed My Story Childhood Trauma Recovery Workshops through funding made possible by the Midland 100 Club. These interactive, peer-led workshops introduce participants to the four recovery principles of Awareness, Understanding, Acceptance, and Forgiveness while providing practical tools for personal growth and recovery.
There is no cost to participating organizations or their participants.
The I Changed My Story Recovery Workbook & Toolkit, developed by Aland Stamps, is an interactive, self-reflection resource designed to help individuals explore how childhood experiences have shaped their beliefs, emotions, relationships, and decisions. Through guided exercises, personal reflection, and practical recovery tools, participants learn to separate facts from assumptions, challenge beliefs formed through childhood trauma, and begin creating a healthier understanding of themselves and their experiences.
Awareness — See the Truth: Identify significant childhood experiences, separate facts from assumptions, and recognize how past events may still influence your life today.
Understanding — Find the Why: Explore how childhood experiences shaped your beliefs, behaviors, and emotional responses while learning that understanding what happened does not mean excusing it.
Acceptance — Surrender to Reality: Learn to acknowledge what happened without approving of it, release the struggle against an unchangeable past, and focus on what you can control today.
Forgiveness — Live in Freedom: Explore forgiveness as a personal choice that does not require reconciliation, while learning to release the emotional hold of past experiences.
More Than a Workbook — A Tool for Personal Growth
Designed for individual reflection and guided workshop participation, the workbook provides practical exercises and recovery tools that participants can continue using beyond the training experience.
The response to our I Changed My Story Childhood Trauma Recovery Seminar, held at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library in Midland, Michigan, on October 3, 2026, was overwhelmingly positive. Based on participant surveys, approximately 95% of the feedback was rated excellent, with no negative comments reported. Beyond the ratings, the most meaningful feedback came from participants who shared how the seminar helped them realize they were not alone in their experiences with childhood trauma. One participant expressed that hearing how others had overcome similar struggles gave them hope that they, too, could move forward in their recovery journey. Others expressed a desire for more extensive training and opportunities to explore the recovery principles in greater depth. These responses reinforce the mission behind I Changed My Story: helping individuals understand their past, discover hope in the present, and recognize that their future does not have to be defined by what happened to them.