TIMELINE WORK

This page is a work in progress.

One of the pieces of my project that I’m working out has to do with mapping out our life timeline so we can zoom out to see a bird’s eye view of our lived experience. 

One of the most powerful exercises we do in the Get Unstuck group coaching program involves looking back at our life and taking inventory of all the events that caused of to feel shame, or that led us to think there was something wrong with us. 

I’ve witnessed that work helping so many people to become aware of what they had been through, what they were carrying and what needed to be processed and released. 

Ever since doing this work myself, I have found it to be so helpful to use our life timeline as a means of looking back, gaining perspective, noticing patterns, themes, challenges and growth that wasn’t immediately obvious until the big picture was painted. 

What you see below is my tinkering with different ways to present or play with the timeline. I’ll keep plugging away at this until it turns into a functional tool I can share for us all to use!

– Jess, May 2026

12/27/1983
Birth
12/27/1984
1st Birthday
…
12/27/1985
2nd Birthday
12/27/1986
3rd Birthday
12/27/1987
4th Birthday
12/27/2024
41st Birthday
Themes
  • Survival
  • Abandonment
  • Emotional Neglect
  • Mother Wound
  • Father Wound
  • Lack of Safety / Protection
Story Arcs & Key Events
  • Moved to Barbados (2)
  • Sibling born in 1986 (2.5)
  • Divorce / Separation from Mother (3)
  • Remarriage (5)
  • Moved 8 times before the age of 7
  • Moved to Boston (7)
  • Moved to Montreal (12)
Highlights
  • Visiting Mom
  • Visiting ma tante Sylvie et les cousins
  • Playing Soccer
  • Libraries and Books
  • Spending time with Grandma
  • Playing with computers; learning DOS; building websites
  • Movie Nights
Challenges / Friction
  • Rageaholic Narcissist Abuse (Scapegoat)
  • Living in fear, walking on eggshells
  • Love used as a weapon of control
  • Lack of security, connection, affection, support
  • Can't use voice: mocked, belittled, attacked, criticized
  • All identity + power taken away
  • Learning Disability (Math)
  • Molestation at Daycare (4)
  • Sexual Grooming / Sexual Violence (11-14)
  • Severe bullying at High School and at home
  • Sexual Assault (14)
  • Abandoned by family, dropped off on Mom's doorstep (15)
Lessons & Meaning
  • The world is not a safe place
  • Survival of the fittest / dog-eat-dog
  • Love has to be earned
  • Be polite, respectful and kind at all times, to everyone
  • Life only rewards those who work hard and take advantage to get ahead
  • Without status, money, or power, you have nothing, are doomed to be taken advantage of
  • Emotions are a sign of weakness, they must be masked
  • I am a 'problem child' with behavioural issues, punishments are my fault and for my own good
  • I have to earn and prove my worth
  • I will always have to work harder than others, because I am weak and lack discipline
  • I must override all needs, emotions, and physical sensations
  • I am too much: too loud, too emotional, too sensitive, too needy, too dreamy, too rambunctious, too naive

People & Relationships
  • Grandma Joan
Body / Health / Environment
  • Severe allergies
  • Asthma / Croup
  • Weak Immune System
  • Overuse of Antibiotics
  • Right ear boxed, permanent damage
Tags
  • Survival
  • Childhood Trauma
  • Sexual Trauma
  • C-PTSD
Themes
  • [Core themes for this year]
Story Arcs & Key Events
  • [Major stories, arcs, turning points]
Career / Work
  • [Jobs, projects, studies, big shifts]
Highlights
  • [Peak experiences, wins, magic moments]
Challenges / Friction
  • [Conflicts, breakdowns, struggles]
Lessons & Meaning
  • [What this year taught me, in hindsight]
People & Relationships
  • [Key people, relationship arcs, mentors]
Body / Health / Environment
  • [Physical health, nervous system, location, home]
Threads / Tags
  • [Tag names that apply to this year: e.g. safety, leadership, burnout, belonging]
Themes
  • [Core themes for this year]
Story Arcs & Key Events
  • [Major stories, arcs, turning points]
Career / Work
  • [Jobs, projects, studies, big shifts]
Highlights
  • [Peak experiences, wins, magic moments]
Challenges / Friction
  • [Conflicts, breakdowns, struggles]
Lessons & Meaning
  • [What this year taught me, in hindsight]
People & Relationships
  • [Key people, relationship arcs, mentors]
Body / Health / Environment
  • [Physical health, nervous system, location, home]
Threads / Tags
  • [Tag names that apply to this year: e.g. safety, leadership, burnout, belonging]
Themes
  • [Core themes for this year]
Story Arcs & Key Events
  • [Major stories, arcs, turning points]
Career / Work
  • [Jobs, projects, studies, big shifts]
Highlights
  • [Peak experiences, wins, magic moments]
Challenges / Friction
  • [Conflicts, breakdowns, struggles]
Lessons & Meaning
  • [What this year taught me, in hindsight]
People & Relationships
  • [Key people, relationship arcs, mentors]
Body / Health / Environment
  • [Physical health, nervous system, location, home]
Threads / Tags
  • [Tag names that apply to this year: e.g. safety, leadership, burnout, belonging]