Raw Flesh and the Sea of Acid: Why the AwA Project Exists

I was born in Salvador, Bahia—a city where the sea is the oxygen of the soul. But for me, there was a time when the sea was my greatest torturer.

From childhood and through much of my adolescence, I faced a devastating skin disease. My body was a map of open wounds. I would scratch until I bled, in a desperate attempt to tear that agony away from me. The nights were the worst: I would wake up and feel the fabric of the sheet stuck to my raw flesh. Peeling it off was a ritual of pain that no one should have to know so young.

I loved to surf. The ocean was my refuge, the place where I sought my "Angel." But in the critical moments, entering those waters was like taking a bath of acid. The salt that was supposed to cleanse burned every inch of my existence.

The Judgment and the Noise

While my body burned, I still had to face the eyes of the world. I saw the expressions of disgust. I felt the silent judgment of a society that worships aesthetics and ignores essence. In that phase, the "noise" of the world was a sentence: "You are not perfect, therefore, you do not belong."

The weight became so overwhelming that I reached my limit. I considered suicide. I saw no way out of the physical pain or the emotional isolation.

The Awakening: From Conflict to Acceptance

But it was precisely in that "sea of acid" that I found my strength. With the support of those who loved me, I had to make a radical choice. I understood that my body was somatizing not just my pain, but the conflict of trying to fit into a sick world.

I realized that social "Amnesia" makes us believe we are our packaging. I used Critical Thinking to question: Who am I when my skin is open? Who am I when I receive not validation, but repulsion?

The answer was the birth of Angel with Amnesia. I discovered that my essence was unreachable by acid or judgment. The moment I accepted my imperfection and stopped fighting my own skin, healing began to flow. Not just physical healing, but the sovereignty of the soul.

The Bridge to a New Civilization

My path as a Holistic Therapist in Los Angeles today is guided by these scars. I know what it’s like to have a soul in raw flesh. I know what the noise of the world is like when it tries to convince you that you have no value.

• Empathy is what allowed me not to become a bitter and closed person.

• Critical Thinking was the shield that allowed me to ignore the disgusted stares of others and focus on my truth.

  
  

The AwA Project exists so that you don't have to go through a "bath of acid" to awaken. We are here to educate your empathy and strengthen your mind, so that you can navigate the world without the salt of criticism burning your essence.

You are much better than society tells you. It is time to remember.