When I was 5 years old, I was kidnapped by a neighbor and forced into a garage. Four decades later my trauma stormed out of me, and I began to breakdown. Fortunately, I have a very wise and loving partner, Linda, who fought to get me the help I needed. Eventually, I was diagnosed with PTSD, and my whole life came into focus.

I underwent immediate and intense trauma recovery, and while I had to put many things in my life on hold, writing became the one place I felt consistently safe and productive. I am grateful to say that now I’m living an almost symptom free life. A true miracle.

Last year, Linda said to me, “We didn’t survive this just to live another day. We need to help people who are going through the same thing.” I agreed, and so we turned our creative work into advocacy. We started 72 Hour Hold, a blog about our recovery from PTSD. And we made our first film, Garage.

Garage is a short suspense film about what it’s like to live with untreated PTSD. The protagonist in the film, Joshua, returns to the garage where he was molested as a child in an attempt to make peace with his past. His PTSD symptoms are out of control, and he just wants some relief.

The film demonstrates how the effects of trauma can last long after the event. PTSD flashbacks can be terrifying, and many people suffering from untreated trauma can be, in effect, living in horror.

Trauma has become a global health epidemic. The numbers are difficult to calculate but according to the National Council for Behavioral Health, 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. Regarding sexual trauma, experts estimate that at least one in four women and one in six men experience it in their lifetimes.

Nearly all children who witness a parental homicide or sexual assault will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Similarly, 90% of sexually abused children, 77% of children exposed to a school shooting, and 35% of urban youth exposed to community violence develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Garage demonstrates the power of survivor stories, of NOT being silent anymore, and will create community around what is such an isolating experience.