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Narrative
Artwork
I was...
Home
at Someone Else’s Home
at Work
in School / University
in a Bar / Restaurant
in the Military
at a Social Event
Traveling
in a Service Setting
in a Religious Setting
Incarcerated
in a Public Space
Online or in a Digital Space
Other
The person who harmed me was a...
Stranger
Acquaintance
Non-Romantic Friend
Casual / First Date
Spouse
Romantic Partner
Ex-Partner
Family Member
Authority Figure
Colleague
Minor
I identify as...
Asian
Arab / Middle Eastern / North African
Black / African / Caribbean
Hispanic / Latino / Spanish
American Indian / Alaska Native
Two or More Races
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander
White
My sexual orientation is...
LGBTQ+
Straight / Heterosexual
Lesbian / Gay
Bisexual
Pansexual
Queer
Asexual
I identify as...
a Man
a Woman
Transgender
Non-binary
Gender-fluid
Genderqueer
I identify as...
a Person with a physical disability
a Person who is neurodivergent
a Person who is deaf / hard of hearing
a Person who is blind or has a visual impairment
a Person with a speech or language impairment
a Person with an intellectual or developmental disability
an Immigrant
I was...
a Child
a Teenager
a Young Adult
an Adult
a Senior / Elderly Person
When this occurred I also experienced...
Physical harm
Emotional abuse
Financial abuse
Human trafficking
Stalking
Verbal abuse
On this page are stories shared by survivors that highlight hope but can also be hard to read. A grounding activity can help you to feel calm and make it easier to read these stories. Do you want to try one of our grounding activities?
At the age of 7, I was sexually abused by my school bus driver on my way home from school. As I grew older, I realized that I didn't remember most of the things correctly, and even forgot some parts. I didn't get psychological support from a professional and I grew up as a child who was very sensitive to physical touch. I had thoughts of self-harm many times when I was younger, but I never could. I'm now 19 years old and traveling the world while studying abroad. I love myself, my friends and my family. As someone who grew up thinking that I w...
At the end of the day, you are what you make of yourself. What someone has done to you says nothing of your character, and you as an independent person can grow and heal. It’s not always a linear journey, and healing is something flexible that will work with you for as long as you need it. It doesn’t make you weak, and it doesn’t mean you must become stronger. You are perfect as you are, take the time to love yourself.
What happened to you was wrong. Regardless of your actions, they're the ones who caused your hurt, not you.
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What healing has meant for me is the ability to read and hear other's stories without getting triggered. It has also meant that a relative who also experienced childhood SA and I have a wonderful friendship with communication free from ickiness.
Not yet, I feel like I can't give hope when I have none. Constant invalidation and denial of all abuses for over 30 years has depleted my resources.
This poem by Rupi Kaur captures the essence of healing
"What is stronger than a human heart which shatters over and over and still lives"
You are loved and you are needed. You deserve love that doesn’t hurt.
Healing for me was learning to love myself again. I had felt worthless. It is being comfortable in myself. It is knowing what a healthy relationship is and knowing that the abuse i suffered was not my fault.
Someone wants to listen to your story. Someone wants to help. Don't deal with this alone. I believe you, I see you. You can survive this.
You did nothing wrong. You will be okay. Seek help and talk to someone.
You matter, your story matters, and nobody knows what happened to you that day. Never stop fighting. Never let it get the best of you.
I’m in a loving Marraige, three amazing kids, good job, great friends - it took a tough road to get here but it was worth it xxx
Don't let the things someone else decided was okay determine who you are, grow from it. Use it as fuel to make yourself someone you feel safe with, someone a child, teenager, or adult would feel comfortable asking for help. You are not your trauma, you are you and you are loved and worth being here.
I honestly do not know what healing is for me. I am still looking for it. I believe some of healing is being able to become less reactive, but I am not sure it is possible to be completely healed.
Don’t give up. Healing is slow but I know that it’s gonna be worth it some day. for you and me.
if they act all like she dressed like a slut then just do like me write it in a story and let that blow the fuck up #Women #Fight #ForverYoung
i would try to encourage you to speak up. you will feel a heavy lift you had now would be more bearable
When I was 7, my cousin (10) would sexually touch me. I never realised that it was wrong nor did i tell him to stop. My older sister (9), didnt understand either and didnt try to stop him. It took me 8 more years to realize it was never right. Does this still count as cocsa? Even when I "enjoyed" the physical sensation?
Even when you have no one or can't open up to anyone for fear of being misunderstood or betrayed again, there will always be someone, even if it is yourself, someone who will listen and care.
I think healing to me means it's in the past, it can't be change. All that can be done now is to move forward, and to not succumb to turmoil and depression. I want to get to a place where I'm actually happy in life and not thinking about what was done to me. Or at least muffle it out with my own success in life that we made it and we're still kicking ass
1 new update
There is hope for better days to come. I know it often doesn't feel like it and how scary it can be to work through your own demons. But I realised there is so much support and community out there. You don't have to stay alone with this burden. There are shoulders to lean on and ears that will listen. Take the time you need and the steps that are right for you, because only you can decide your path forward..
go for help tell someone, talk to your teacher, tell your parents or a trusted friend. if it is someone in your family doing this to you, go to a trusted friend, have them take you to the hospital and get a rape kit done. i wish I had then my rapists would be in prison today. don't take the law into your own hands let the police handle it for you and you just work on getting yourself better. and one other thing do not think about committing suicide because once you do that deed you don't get a comeback to life card. once you're dead, you're de...
1 new update
I don't know if what my brother did to me can be classified as sexual abuse.
I was staying over at his house. It was late at night, and we were watching a movie. At some point, he asked if he could initiate some cuddling. I actually agreed, since we are really close and both enjoy physical affection. While we were spooning, he snuck his hand under my shirt. He didn't say anything, and I didn't say anything. As the night went on, he alternated between different caresses, kisses on my head or the side of my face, and words of affection. I idly s...
Don't give up. Please get out of the situation and please know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE
A SURVIVING VICTIM’S STORY - Name
I was four years old when upon hearing my parents’ raised voices, I peered around our living room corner, a silent spectator to my dad’s hand connecting with my mom’s face, propelling her into the air and onto our Danish Modern coffee table. Upon impact, the table and my petite mother broke into pieces. That night, my fix-it father repaired the table. I didn’t know it then, but my mother was forever broken. Although my older brother didn’t witness this one-sided match-up, he certainly heard them arguing,...
My Fiancé (f19 and soon to be wife) keeps getting harassed at work from a minor (m16) and when she keeps reporting it nothing every gets done or justice is brought and this has been happening for months now and she has called hr and told all her managers as well but nothing gets done idk what to do or help bc I’m currently across the country rn but it’s getting bad to the point he is getting more physical with her and won’t let up
I don't know what I am writing. But I need a place to write it.
I was in a relationship that ended recently. Really, it's been a long time since I had a partner. But the words to end it were spoken more recently.
I'm so confused. I am processing things that happened. The words that have been said over and over to me and by me are that it was a healthy relationship, he never wanted to hurt me, he supports me.
Group Name Dark Side: How "Name" Stands By a Rapist Over a Survivor
Warning: Sensitive Content Related to Sexual Assault and Retaliation
After months of silence and countless sleepless nights, I feel compelled to share my story. This isn’t just for me, but for everyone who has ever felt unheard, unsupported, and betrayed by those they trusted. I had been part of a close-knit group called Group Name, founded by Name, for over six years. It was more than just a group; it was a second family. But the events of the past several mo...
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