Nothing’s for Nothing: Transformation Through Trauma
In her haunting memoir, Rebekah Demirel reveals a childhood of adversity and neglect: beginning at age three, when her mother fled the violence of their home, through years in a chaotic and abusive household with her Pentecostal father and violent older brother, until she left at thirteen for an uncertain life on the streets. Nothing’s for Nothing is a soulful account of heartbreak, loss and grief, of difficult homeless teenage years, and of the resilience she found on the other side of them, carrying throughout messages of hope, healing, forgiveness and transformation.
“Rebekah’s greatest gift is resilience. She truly is one of the most resilient people I know, and her writing conveys that effortlessly.”
— Dr. Gabor Maté
As seen in
- A New Day Northwest, King 5: television appearance
- KEXP, Mind Over Matters: radio interview
- The Seattle Times, Project Homeless: Rebekah tells her story
- In public conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté on trauma and addiction
Speaking, readings and panels
Rebekah speaks on trauma, resilience, homelessness and healing for community, nonprofit, academic and corporate audiences, as keynote speaker, panelist, workshop leader and author reading from her own work.
Keynotes and conference speaking
- Human Services Symposium, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois: keynote speaker
- Ignite Project Homeless, Seattle University: featured speaker
- Momondays, Nanaimo BC: featured speaker
- Conference on Ending Homelessness, Yakima WA: presenter and community acupuncture provider
Readings and community talks
- Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle: book launch and reading
- Banyen Books, Vancouver: book launch, reading and talk
- University United Methodist Temple: reading and talk
- University Lutheran Church: “Finding Your Sanctuary Within”
- Richmond Beach Congregational Church: “How We Heal Our Trauma”
- Aloha Inn, Seattle: “Where the Light Gets In: What Trauma Teaches Us”
In conversation
- A public conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté on trauma and addiction
- University of Washington School of Medicine / MHTTC Network: presenter and panelist across an eight-part series on trauma, the nervous system and sustainable caregiving
Available for keynotes, panels, readings and discussion groups. Dates and format are arranged directly.