Trauma in Technicolor: How Netflix’s "Sirens" Dresses Up Childhood Wounds in a Pastel Pink Bow

This blog is part of our Power of Healing series, which explores powerful journeys of healing and recovery and the resilience that fuels them.

Characters from Netflix Series, Sirens. Sisters Devon (left) played by Meghann Fahy and Simone (right) DeWitt played by Milly Alcock.

Our July Power of Healing blog dives into the depths of Netflix’s newest summer miniseries, Sirens. This show aligns beautifully with our series because it illustrates how storytelling—whether on screen or in real life—can open the door to deeper empathy, compassion, and healing in our own lives. Stories of childhood trauma, in any form, serve as powerful reminders of the truths we encounter daily in trauma-informed care: that behind most behaviors lies a lived experience, often shaped by pain, survival, and a deep desire to feel safe. In this post, Nikki Warner, Regional Program Manager at Resilient Georgia, shares how Sirens unexpectedly mirrored her own healing journey.

Sirens offers a star-studded, rose-colored exploration of grief, childhood trauma, survival, and what it takes to heal. With her hair wrapped in a pastel pink bow and juxtaposed alongside Hampton’s elite, is Simone Dewitt (Milly Alcock), a young woman whose childhood trauma fuels a strong desire for survival. She sacrifices her Yale education and sense of self for a summer in the Hamptons rubbing elbows with high society as Michaela Kell’s (Julianne Moore) personal assistant. As much as Simone tries to mask her anxiety and traumatic upbringing with forced, cheerful smiles and Lily Pulitzer dresses, she can’t seem to outrun her wounds.   

As we know in our work in trauma-informed care, our bodies keep the score and our wounded inner child is always with us, making decisions out of survival to ensure we remain safe, accepted, and loved. This is true not only for Simone, but also for her older sister Devon (Meghann Fahy), who remains in Buffalo as their father’s caregiver as his dementia progresses. Devon is navigating her own trauma—trying to hold onto sobriety while under immense caregiver stress. Years earlier, we learn she sacrificed everything to gain custody of Simone, pulling her out of a harmful foster care environment and away from their severely neglectful, alcoholic father after their mother’s death.  

Beneath Sirens’ glossy surface lies a raw portrayal of survival for both sisters: Simone isn’t healed; she’s trying her best to cope the only way she knows how, performing confidence, chasing perfection, and clinging to relationships that promise security, wealth, and ease, even if it means abandoning herself. Devon, by contrast, is unapologetic, unfiltered, and determined to grow. She refuses to be ashamed of who she is or where she comes from, embracing both the light and dark within her. That authenticity is deeply unsettling to Simone, who sees in Devon what she cannot accept within herself. Simone is unwilling to sacrifice the comfort and luxury she has found with the Kells in the Hamptons and would do anything to make that reality permanent.  

Trauma-Informed Lens: What Sirens Gets Right

What Sirens does well is commentate on the blurred line that is healing vs. hiding. It asks, what happens when you attempt to build a beautiful life upon the shaky foundation of unresolved trauma? It reveals how childhood wounds often linger long after the tears dry. They quietly shape our relationships, weave themselves into our self-worth, and drive a desperate pursuit of security by any means necessary. Simone’s internal struggles with anxiety and PTSD reflect how trauma can lead us to superficial healing environments and make us fall victim to emotional manipulation that reinforces instability and encourages avoidance and self-abandonment, rather than resilience and growth.   

In my opinion, one of this show’s greatest strengths is how it portrays the complexity of its characters. In a classic slow-burn fashion, the writers intentionally peel back the layers of these three women, revealing deeper reasons behind their behavior and inviting empathy from the viewers’ hearts, episode by episode. Sirens offers an accurate portrayal of human nature; the light and dark, the duality within each of us, and the courage it takes to face ourselves and pursue healing. We find Simone and Michaela are more alike than different and are drawn to each other by a troubled history of mirrored experiences. Their bond reveals how unhealed wounds can fuel the desire for a better life painted with glamour, manipulation, and reinvention, even if that pursuit means hurting each other in the process. Rather than villainizing its characters, Sirens paints them with nuance and compassion. It challenges the audience to look through a trauma-informed lens, asking not “What’s wrong with them?” but instead, “What happened to them?”. 

Sirens may be wrapped in pastel hues and picture-perfect luxury, but beneath its surface lies a sobering truth: trauma doesn’t disappear just because we dress it up. Survival can take many forms—perfectionism, escapism, emotional manipulation, or the relentless pursuit of wealth and status. What makes Sirens so compelling is its refusal to cast judgment on its characters. Instead, it invites the audience to sit with discomfort, look beyond appearances, question our assumptions, and recognize that things are rarely as they seem. In a world quick to judge, Sirens also challenges us to practice deeper compassion for ourselves and the people in our own lives navigating the lingering impacts of trauma.  

When Fiction Feels Familiar: A Personal Reflection

Sirens resonated deeply with me and stirred memories of my own childhood wounds. I saw fractured parts of myself reflected in all three main characters. As the eldest daughter to a sister with a chronic illness, the child of a tumultuous divorce and custody battle, an emotionally manipulative and deeply wounded father, and a mother who always did the best she could—my early life was shaped by anxiety, instability, and pressure to grow up too soon. Like Simone, I learned to mask the pain of my family dynamics with perfection: excelling academically and caring for everyone else in hopes of earning love, being accepted, maintaining peace, and creating my own safety net. I became a people-pleasing, self-abandoning, high-achieving perfectionist stuck in survival mode, with a deep need for external validation and acceptance. Like Devon, I too felt the weight of caregiving as a parentified eldest daughter, especially for my sister, and it left me emotionally exhausted and unable to set boundaries at a young age.

Throughout my childhood and into early adulthood, I let these past experiences disconnect me from my true self. At 22, I left my hometown in Illinois for Georgia, seeking physical distance to prioritize myself and finally learn how to set boundaries, but even then, I remained in survival mode—searching for security in relationships when I couldn’t yet find it within. Like Michaela, I clung to the illusion of stability through financial security and a polished life, only to later realize how much of myself I had abandoned in the process, making logical decisions of survival with my head, over my heart. I realized I had molded myself into what everyone expected me to be, obsessing over doing the "right" thing. I chose to go into a helping profession because that was the role that I always held in my family. I became a therapist, rather than pursuing my heart's desire of a more creative career, like writing.

In my twenties, I was simply going through all the motions and checking all the boxes— Bachelor's degree, check. Master's degree, check. Marriage, check. Successful career, check. Homeownership, check—all while being deeply disconnected from who I truly was. Over the past decade, I’ve grown, slowly learning to choose authenticity over perfection and performance, but I’d be lying if I said I had it all figured out. I’m still in therapy, unpacking how my past shapes me and my relationships. I'm learning to trust myself and make peace with the life choices made by an unhealthier, disconnected version of me, while also working towards a life that feels more aligned. Unraveling the life I have created in order to pursue my authenticity has been one of the most difficult things I have ever been through. It's a constant journey, but I know my future self will thank me. I wholeheartedly believe choosing ourselves—fully and unapologetically—is the most radical and courageous act of healing we can make.

What Sirens Teaches Us About Trauma

As someone who works in trauma-informed care, I’ve rarely come across a show that so thoughtfully and realistically portrays the complexity and manifestation of childhood trauma in adulthood. Sirens isn't mere entertainment, it reflects the principles we advocate for: understanding a person’s behavior through their lived experience, holding space for both pain and growth, and approaching others with empathy instead of blame or shame. Sirens reminded me that healing isn’t linear. Sometimes it looks like running, performing, or pretending. And sometimes, it means looking back with compassion at the choices you made as a past version of yourself in an effort to survive. That’s truly at the heart of trauma-informed care and resilience. It’s not just something we practice professionally—we must also recognize our own wounds, extend self-compassion, and choose to grow into a better and more authentic version of ourselves, despite what we’ve been through. 

If you haven’t seen Sirens yet, it’s well worth the watch. I promise, I didn’t disclose any major spoilers! My hope is that you also find yourself watching through a trauma-informed lens and it reaffirms the value of our work to promote healing, resilience, and compassion in your communities. 

Resources to Explore 

If Sirens sparked reflection or resonated with your work or in your personal life, here are a few resources to deepen your understanding of trauma-informed care and support your healing journey—or the journey of those you serve: 

• AAP National Center for Relational Health and Trauma-Informed Care – Learn about the importance of implementing trauma-informed care to promote healing and resilience. 

• The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: Read and explore how trauma reshapes the body and brain—and how healing can happen through body-based therapies. 

• Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) – Research-based courses and resources to cultivate self-kindness, mindfulness, and emotional resilience. 

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): Evidence-based resources for caregivers, professionals, and communities supporting children and families affected by trauma. 

• Resilient Georgia Learning Cards: These easy-to-use tools introduce key concepts like Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resilience, and trauma-informed care—great for personal learning or sharing with others. 

• What Happened to You? by Dr. Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey: Learn to reframe the question, "What's wrong with you?", to "What happened to you?"—a core principle of trauma-informed care. This book blends neuroscience, personal stories, and compassionate inquiry. 

  
  

Additional Tools That Sparked My Personal Healing Journey 

• Skill-Based Trainings – Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) jumpstarted my healing journey and equipped me with practical tools for emotional regulation, helped me cultivate self-acceptance, and strengthened my capacity for resilience in everyday life. 

• Somatic Therapy – Helped me reconnect with my body and release stored trauma. 

• Yoga, Fitness, and Dance – Prioritizing movement reconnected me to myself and allowed me to find balance and release stress. Endorphins are magical! 

• Writing & Journaling – My journaling practice slowly morphed into poetry and reconnected me to my authentic self. A powerful creative outlet for self-reflection, clarity, and growth. 

Author Bio:

Nikki Warner is an aspiring writer, and passionate advocate for trauma-informed care, mental health, and overall well-being. As Regional Program Manager at Resilient Georgia, she plays an integral role in the organization’s statewide coalition-building efforts to increase access to behavioral healthcare and promote healing, resilience, and equity for children and families across Georgia.

A trained mental health counselor, Nikki has spent nearly a decade working to expand access to mental health support for children and young adults. Before joining Resilient Georgia, she provided direct services to both K-12 students in rural, southeast Georgia as well as college students at Georgia Southern University.

Originally from Illinois, Nikki earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an M.Ed. in Counselor Education with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia Southern. Outside of work, Nikki channels her creativity through poetry and dance, teaches yoga and fitness classes in the community, and lives in Savannah with her husband and their three pets—Atticus, Scout, and Juniper.