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Thank you for your question. It's a fundamental question. I think being loved means feeling truly safe when you're with someone and feeling like "the other person is really paying attention to me." It's a relationship where your feelings, boundaries, and needs are respected without being denied. True love and compassion is not about getting special favors. It's in the little things that accumulate every day, such as the other person being there for you and accepting you as you are. Love may mean someone listening carefully when you share your...
Thank you for your essential question. Let me share my thoughts on an "equal relationship." I think an "equal relationship" is one in which both parties feel safe and respected . It's a relationship in which you can express your feelings and thoughts, as well as important boundaries, such as "this is okay, but I don't want to go any further," without worrying about being rejected, ignored, or scolded. No one person makes decisions or takes the lead, and both people's opinions are equally valued. Even if we disagree on something, we will listen...
First, let me tell you that feeling anger towards someone who has hurt you is a very natural and valid reaction. There is no need to blame yourself or feel ashamed of your feelings, thinking, "I shouldn't be feeling this way" or "I should forgive the other person." The fact that you feel anger speaks to the fact that you have been hurt. Sometimes, anger can come over you in waves so strong that it's hard to process. Anger is a natural response to injustice and unfairness, especially when your important boundaries and dignity are violated. If y...
Thank you so much for reaching out to us in this time of confusion. The experience you described - being dragged into a bathroom by an older man while you were drunk and having him touch you without your consent - is a very serious incident. Even if the other person was just joking around or had been drinking, it is never acceptable for them to touch you without your permission . These acts could be considered sexual violence . However, rather than jumping to conclusions with questions like, "Is this sexual violence?" or "Is it traumatic?", we...
I'm so glad you reached out, and I want you to know that it's completely understandable to feel uncertain about labeling this experience, especially given how young you both were at the time. When children as young as seven or eight engage in sexual behavior, it can be confusing to make sense of later in life, particularly when thinking about concepts like consent and understanding at that age. Children in that age range generally do not have the emotional or developmental capacity to fully understand or consent to sexual activities. Without r...
There is nothing wrong with you for still feeling this way. The disgust you're feeling is not about who you are...it's about what was done to you. But trauma has a cruel way of turning that outward violation inward, making you feel like the wrongness lives inside your body rather than in the actions of the person who harmed you.
Thank you for trusting us with this. I want to start by addressing your last question first...no, this is not "just who you are." The fact that you're asking this question at all tells me that this behavior feels foreign to you, like something that doesn't quite align with who you know yourself to be underneath it all. That instinct is worth trusting.
Thanks for following up about this. First, I want to gently acknowledge that OCD is doing exactly what it does best right now...finding a new angle to pull you back into the cycle of doubt, guilt, and rumination. That's important context for everything you're feeling in this moment.
This is such an important question thank you for asking it. When we talk about consent, it's easy to focus narrowly on what happened in the moment: Was there direct pressure? Did someone say no? But true consent requires so much more than the absence of force or explicit coercion in a single instance. Consent requires the genuine freedom to say yes or no without fear of consequences, and that freedom can be deeply compromised by patterns of manipulation that have been built up over time. Three years of someone conditioning you to comply w...
Great question! The author of each answered question will always be listed, so you'll always know who provided the original response. However, we cannot guarantee answers to follow-up questions in the comments at this time. Occasionally, our team may try to respond, but the primary purpose of the comments section is for community discussion rather than expert follow-up. We wish we could answer every follow-up, but our current bandwidth doesn't allow for it. We appreciate your understanding, and we're grateful you're here and engaging with the...
Thank you for asking this! We appreciate your organization’s desire to connect with us and become part of our resource directory. We do accept requests from groups that share our commitment to supporting survivors and we have a straightforward process for reviewing and adding new organizations. Please email us at hello@ourwave.org to get started. Once you reach out and provide the relevant information about your mission, location, and services, a member of our team will meet with you to guide you through any additional steps. Regarding t...
It is not uncommon for survivors to experience a wide range of confusing and conflicting emotions and sensations after their assault, including sexual arousal. This can be especially distressing for individuals who may feel guilty or ashamed for feeling aroused in response to a traumatic event.
Thank you for your question. It's a fundamental question. I think being loved means feeling truly safe when you're with someone and feeling like "the other person is really paying attention to me." It's a relationship where your feelings, boundaries, and needs are respected without being denied. True love and compassion is not about getting special favors. It's in the little things that accumulate every day, such as the other person being there for you and accepting you as you are. Love may mean someone listening carefully when you share your...
Thank you so much for reaching out to us in this time of confusion. The experience you described - being dragged into a bathroom by an older man while you were drunk and having him touch you without your consent - is a very serious incident. Even if the other person was just joking around or had been drinking, it is never acceptable for them to touch you without your permission . These acts could be considered sexual violence . However, rather than jumping to conclusions with questions like, "Is this sexual violence?" or "Is it traumatic?", we...
Thanks for following up about this. First, I want to gently acknowledge that OCD is doing exactly what it does best right now...finding a new angle to pull you back into the cycle of doubt, guilt, and rumination. That's important context for everything you're feeling in this moment.
Thank you for your essential question. Let me share my thoughts on an "equal relationship." I think an "equal relationship" is one in which both parties feel safe and respected . It's a relationship in which you can express your feelings and thoughts, as well as important boundaries, such as "this is okay, but I don't want to go any further," without worrying about being rejected, ignored, or scolded. No one person makes decisions or takes the lead, and both people's opinions are equally valued. Even if we disagree on something, we will listen...
I'm so glad you reached out, and I want you to know that it's completely understandable to feel uncertain about labeling this experience, especially given how young you both were at the time. When children as young as seven or eight engage in sexual behavior, it can be confusing to make sense of later in life, particularly when thinking about concepts like consent and understanding at that age. Children in that age range generally do not have the emotional or developmental capacity to fully understand or consent to sexual activities. Without r...
There is nothing wrong with you for still feeling this way. The disgust you're feeling is not about who you are...it's about what was done to you. But trauma has a cruel way of turning that outward violation inward, making you feel like the wrongness lives inside your body rather than in the actions of the person who harmed you.
This is such an important question thank you for asking it. When we talk about consent, it's easy to focus narrowly on what happened in the moment: Was there direct pressure? Did someone say no? But true consent requires so much more than the absence of force or explicit coercion in a single instance. Consent requires the genuine freedom to say yes or no without fear of consequences, and that freedom can be deeply compromised by patterns of manipulation that have been built up over time. Three years of someone conditioning you to comply w...
Great question! The author of each answered question will always be listed, so you'll always know who provided the original response. However, we cannot guarantee answers to follow-up questions in the comments at this time. Occasionally, our team may try to respond, but the primary purpose of the comments section is for community discussion rather than expert follow-up. We wish we could answer every follow-up, but our current bandwidth doesn't allow for it. We appreciate your understanding, and we're grateful you're here and engaging with the...
It is not uncommon for survivors to experience a wide range of confusing and conflicting emotions and sensations after their assault, including sexual arousal. This can be especially distressing for individuals who may feel guilty or ashamed for feeling aroused in response to a traumatic event.
First, let me tell you that feeling anger towards someone who has hurt you is a very natural and valid reaction. There is no need to blame yourself or feel ashamed of your feelings, thinking, "I shouldn't be feeling this way" or "I should forgive the other person." The fact that you feel anger speaks to the fact that you have been hurt. Sometimes, anger can come over you in waves so strong that it's hard to process. Anger is a natural response to injustice and unfairness, especially when your important boundaries and dignity are violated. If y...
Thank you for trusting us with this. I want to start by addressing your last question first...no, this is not "just who you are." The fact that you're asking this question at all tells me that this behavior feels foreign to you, like something that doesn't quite align with who you know yourself to be underneath it all. That instinct is worth trusting.
Thank you for asking this! We appreciate your organization’s desire to connect with us and become part of our resource directory. We do accept requests from groups that share our commitment to supporting survivors and we have a straightforward process for reviewing and adding new organizations. Please email us at hello@ourwave.org to get started. Once you reach out and provide the relevant information about your mission, location, and services, a member of our team will meet with you to guide you through any additional steps. Regarding t...
Explore questions answered by experts to help survivors, advocates, and allies better understand trauma and the healing process.
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Grounding activity
Find a comfortable place to sit. Gently close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths - in through your nose (count to 3), out through your mouth (count of 3). Now open your eyes and look around you. Name the following out loud:
5 – things you can see (you can look within the room and out of the window)
4 – things you can feel (what is in front of you that you can touch?)
3 – things you can hear
2 – things you can smell
1 – thing you like about yourself.
Take a deep breath to end.
From where you are sitting, look around for things that have a texture or are nice or interesting to look at.
Hold an object in your hand and bring your full focus to it. Look at where shadows fall on parts of it or maybe where there are shapes that form within the object. Feel how heavy or light it is in your hand and what the surface texture feels like under your fingers (This can also be done with a pet if you have one).
Take a deep breath to end.
Ask yourself the following questions and answer them out loud:
1. Where am I?
2. What day of the week is today?
3. What is today’s date?
4. What is the current month?
5. What is the current year?
6. How old am I?
7. What season is it?
Take a deep breath to end.
Put your right hand palm down on your left shoulder. Put your left hand palm down on your right shoulder. Choose a sentence that will strengthen you. For example: “I am powerful.” Say the sentence out loud first and pat your right hand on your left shoulder, then your left hand on your right shoulder.
Alternate the patting. Do ten pats altogether, five on each side, each time repeating your sentences aloud.
Take a deep breath to end.
Cross your arms in front of you and draw them towards your chest. With your right hand, hold your left upper arm. With your left hand, hold your right upper arm. Squeeze gently, and pull your arms inwards. Hold the squeeze for a little while, finding the right amount of squeeze for you in this moment. Hold the tension and release. Then squeeze for a little while again and release. Stay like that for a moment.
Take a deep breath to end.