Community

I love this page. I am so glad I found it so that I could kind of get it off of my chest because it’s not something I talk about. It breaks my heart how many of us there are. But I am so glad we have each other, this space, the progress being made to try to prevent this from continuing to happen, to hold them accountable. We’ve got a long way to go but I’m proud of our progress. I’m proud of all of you. I see you, I hear you, I believe you. We got this. 🖤

Healing was the best I could have done. It meant everything to me, it made me a better version of myself, It made me realize that I can live without this toxic person. It thought me to love myself and appreciate me.

I would like to say thank you to all of my supportive friends, my incredibly supportive boyfriend, who has held me through panic attacks even years later, and to my university's sexual assault center, which helped me make it through several tough moments. You are never alone. Please reach out for help if you need it. I know exactly how hard it is, but I also know there is still joy, and it can get better.

I think everyone's journey to healing is different. Personally it has been a endless amount learning and acceptance.

Healing to me means getting back to the level of happy I was before all of this. I miss that girl and I want the world to see her again. She’s strong, confident, and beautiful. I just have to find her again.

Healing is comforting, it’s accepting and knowing that things may never change and that sometimes justice may be slow to come, but that with my story and my actions I can help move forward and give a better future for those after me. I want to start a culture of healing and help those who are like me. So we can make a future where things are different and that more people come forward and share their truth.

I’ve only ever told one person the whole story. Not even my best friends. I don’t know why. I guess I still feel embarrassed, ashamed. Or maybe they won’t believe me. Or won’t think it was sexual assault. I hope to one day be brave enough to openly share my story in hopes of helping others heal. My healing was delayed a couple of years because that’s how long it took me to realize that what happened to me was wrong.

Healing is about self-care, therapy, and practicing positive mental health. I also believe healing is about learning about what your options are and what you can do to reclaim yourself worth, body, and mind. Sometimes after your sexual assault, you don't trust yourself anymore. So you have to work back to loving yourself and reclaiming parts of you that were destroyed in that moment. You won't be fully back to your normal self, but you will evolve into someone who feels more in control and powerful.

I know it’s cliche but it does get better. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, you have to hold on and believe that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I thought about just ending it. I didn’t see a point in fighting anymore. Then I remembered that I have so much to do in this life still, and I refuse to let some scumbag control me anymore.

Healing comes in waves, not all at once. Sometimes I can feel the trauma leaking out of me. You are still healing. You are still healing. You are still healing.

You are not alone. I hope you are growing in love and beauty everyday. I am with you.

You are going to be okay, recovery and healing is a long painful road. But you are still here and you are still fighting, talk to someone. You are not alone and you are loved.

Hope is so hard to have, it took me so long to gain, but with every day and every break through I know that things will change. Not just for me, but for everyone. That is the hope I have, that is the future I fight for. I determine my own resiliency and I am proud of the person I am becoming. I am proud of my voice challenging others. There is so much hope in every single day

I remember for months after everything being so depressed. I didn’t think it would get better. Then there was this one day after I had left therapy and I lived by OneRepublic came on and I remember saying to myself “man Life is beautiful” and I immediately started crying. I knew in that moment that things were gonna be okay even if they weren’t in the moment. Now two years later even though there are still some days where it hits me all over again, I am doing so good. So to anyone who feels the way I felt: there’s so much life and hope/happiness ahead of you.

Healing is ongoing. Healing is a rollercoaster. Healing can feel frustrating and powerful and ugly and beautiful. Healing is surviving another day. Healing is finding strength even when you think you don’t have any (because you always do, it’s already in you).

You are never alone. That traumatic experience does not define you, it does not define your worth, it does not get to dictate your life. You are still your own beautiful soul.

Dear fellow survivor, You are not alone. What happened to you isn't your fault. What you recall is valid. How you felt about that moment is valid. How you decide to carry forward is valid. It may seem that your journey is one that you have to take alone. Alone, no. Defining what you need for yourself? Yes. There is a community that surrounds you and it is full of love and a shared identity. Lean on the community when you need to. We are here for each other.

Your pain, your strength, your story, and your experiences are so real and so valid. You are not alone. I may not know you but I care about you and I care about your story. You do not have to carry it alone. Yesterday, today, or tomorrow may be difficult, but you have survived every moment up until now and you will make it through. You did not deserve what happened to you and it should never have happened at all. But you are so much more than what happened to you. You are a whole person with ideas, goals, talents, humor, love, and so much more. You are not your trauma.

Healing for me is recognizing the situation, my feelings and realizing when someone harasses me, it's not my fault. I am continuously working to stay strong and speak out against sexual harassment. And hopefully one day I won't need to.

Healing means taking control over my life that I have never had. Healing would mean to me that I am so much stronger than my trauma and that my older brother, my ex, and the guy I went on the date with, do not win, I do.