The Fan in the Window
How We Inherit Trauma—and How We Interrupt It
Explore trauma, regulation, and generational change through story and science
“Interruption is possible.”
About the Memoir
A memoir about generational trauma, domestic violence, and the complicated work of interruption.
Told through lived experience and informed by trauma research, this story explores how patterns move through families — and how they can change.
Have you ever felt patterns repeat in your life without knowing why?
Podcast Coming Soon
About Tressa
I am a registered nurse, a former forensic nurse examiner, a mother, and a writer.
For much of my life, I understood trauma through survival. Later, I learned to understand it through science.
My work in emergency and forensic nursing gave me language for patterns I had lived long before I could name them — hypervigilance, appeasement, nervous system dysregulation, generational inheritance. The research did not replace my story. It illuminated it.
The Fan in the Window grew from that intersection — lived experience and trauma-informed understanding. It is a memoir about domestic violence, generational patterns, accountability, and the complicated work of interruption.
“What I had called weakness began to look more like survival.”
Why This Matters
Trauma is rarely isolated.
It moves through families quietly.
Through silence. Through survival. Through patterns that no one names.
Domestic violence. Emotional volatility. Addiction. Control.
What we inherit doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks normal.
Until someone interrupts it.
The Fan in the Window is not just a memoir.
It is a reflection on:
How children adapt to chaos
How silence becomes protection
How trauma can look like personality
How love and harm can exist in the same room
And how cycles can be disrupted — intentionally
This story matters because many of us are living inside inherited patterns we did not choose.
It matters because healing is not about blame.
It is about awareness.
And awareness changes trajectories.
It matters because interruption is possible.
Not perfectly.
Not all at once.
But deliberately.
If you have ever wondered:
Why certain dynamics repeat in your relationships
Why your nervous system feels on guard
Why you became “the strong one,” “the fixer,” or “the quiet one”
How to parent differently than you were parented
You are not alone.
And you are not broken.
This work — the work of noticing, naming, and interrupting — ripples outward. Into children. Into partnerships. Into communities.
That is why this matters.
“It’s complicated. It’s honest. It holds more than one truth at the same time.”
What Early Readers Are Saying
The Fan in the Window has resonated with clinicians, survivors, and readers navigating generational trauma.
“The Fan in the Window is a deeply honest and courageous memoir about the long shadow of generational trauma and the difficult work of healing. Tressa Bell writes with clarity and humility as she reflects on family, survival, and the quiet ways trauma can echo through generations. What makes this book powerful is her willingness to take accountability while still offering compassion—for herself, her mother, and her children. It’s a moving reminder that while cycles of pain may not end perfectly, they can bend through awareness, courage, and love.”
“This book was an interesting read. I love the way the author shows how early experiences can shape perceptions, relationships, and emotional responses. It is a very emotional story that tells how trauma can be passed down through generations until awareness can be the first step towards breaking that cycle. It really helps open your eyes and helps u realize how certain traumas can affect people’s lives and how those people deal with those certain traumas.”
“From the first chapter, I was hooked. Many of her life experiences mirrored my own experiences. Tressa was very forthcoming with her healing journey and offers hope to those who are still struggling. I highly recommend this book.”
“I love your book, and I say this as a man who reads forty to fifty books a year across most genres! So, I know good writing when I read it. Your concise and precise style is enjoyably readable. I couldn’t put it down, and many of your points are so well-stated and both scientifically and emotionally compelling that I read them over several times to absorb as much as I could. Autobiographical psychology, like your story, is a mirror. The astute reader begins to see reflected vignettes from his or her own life in your story, and it causes one to pause and contemplate past trauma and present outcomes, what happened and what could have been, balanced by a forthright honesty and reality. You then bring in the appropriate spiritual aspect of letting go of thoughts of what was or will be and living mindfully in the present. Bringing the “fan in the window” full circle to end the book is very well done. You really put yourself out there. That’s courageous and admirable! Thank you for sharing it with me. I hope you’ll write more.”
Interested in endorsing the book?
If you are a clinician, advocate, or reader who would like to provide a testimonial, I welcome your thoughts.
“Healing begins not with blame, but with awareness.”
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Generational trauma and interruption
Trauma-informed parenting
Nervous system awareness
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Contact
For media inquiries, podcast invitations, speaking requests, or general questions, please use the form below.
I read every message and will respond as I am able.
I appreciate thoughtful correspondence and the courage it takes to reach out.
tressa@thefaninthewindow.com