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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 nonconforming
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?
1 new update
I love you all out there!
You are not alone!
You are strong!
The abuse is not your fault!
This is not really a story, but I wrote a letter to my rapist which I will never send. I don’t want to keep it in, not be alone with it. I want somebody to hear me even though it’s not him that will listen.
I don’t know how I can miss and hate you so much, while still having so much love for you. You did the worst possible thing a best friend could do. You used the trust I had in you to benefit yourself and ignored my feelings along the way. I have so much love for you and I can’t show it, because you don’t deserve my love. You said you cared...
to those out there that maybe going through the same thing out there that i went through, just know that you are not alone, i beleive you, and please go seek out some professional help like i did i have been seeing a councelor since date because of my p.t.s.d. that i was diagnosed with, please do not think that you can handle this yourself because you cannot, it eats away at you peice by peice i know because when i came clean to my mother about being raped by my brother ricky and his girlfriend name back in date, back in date w...
no matter how mundane it seemed at the moment, or how your friends or family made you feel, you are so valid.
Healing to me means being open about my story, knowing how to talk about it with others and feeling strong after knowing that this happened to me
Just know that it's not your fault if this has also happened to you. You were not responsible for it, you were too young or fragile to know.
Healing for me is to view myself with compassion and put the shame onto them instead of continuing to carry it.
どうやったら希望を持てますか
Dear reader, the following story contains language of self-harm that some may find triggering or discomforting.
11:11
I was sexually assaulted—violated—by a man I once admired, someone I trusted and looked up to. I was only number years old at the time, just starting out in the industry—doingjob, stepping into an industry I thought would lead to creativity, confidence, and success.
Im struggling to get my head around what to do and who to speak to. I was comfortably asleep and cuddling my boyfriend and had my head kind of on top of him, i woke up slightly and he was moving my hand to his crotch that was h*rd and at that point i was wide awake with my eyes still closed wondering what he was doing, i opened them a little and pretended i was moving in my sleep but he kept on using force moving my whole arm and hand to touch him and i didnt know what to do so i was still and he took out his phone like he was gonna take a pic...
I honestly don't know what this was, but if you went through anything similar and you're confused too, I get it. I'm 32 now and hadn't thought about my ex Name for a while; we dated when we were both 13. I was turning 14 in the end of June, he was turning 14 in the beginning of July, seems like we were meant to be. At least it felt that way at first.
Tenía alrededor de 6 años, cierro los ojos y es cómo si volviera a vivir en carne propia el recuerdo, me acuerdo del ruido de la televisión, el olor del desayuno que estaba comiendo, yo solo estaba viendo caricaturas. El, un hombre de alrededor 50 años me cargó y me acomodó en sus piernas, y deslizó su mano por debajo de mis panties, TENÍA 6 AÑOS y ahí empezó mi historia de abusó sexual, una historia que me hubiese gustado no tener que experimentar. Yo hablé ya que mi mamá siempre me había enseñado a que nadie podía tocar mis partes pero en es...
When I was 6-7 years old, I was pinned to my ottoman by my older brother (8-9 years) and my friend (6-7 years) and repeatedly kissed on the mouth by another friend (8-9). I told them to stop and put up a struggle but ultimately gave up and let it happen. Is this COCSA or an act of children not knowing boundaries?
There is hope in survivors coming together to share their stories and offer each other support, encouragement and understanding. We are stronger together.
I'm 9 weeks on from my assault and in the early stages of wedding planning. I'll never forget what happened me but I hope in time the good out weighs the bad.
Healing means to me coming home to an empty self and filling it each day with a me.
The hope is we survive, we thrive, and we find our voice. Don't let someone else take away your voice and your truth.
You can be brave
Healing is allowing yourself to be seen and known and loved, even when you are carrying all you have been through and everything that has made you feel broken. Healing is realising you don’t need to be ‘healed’ to be loved, by yourself or anyone else. Healing is knowing you are perfect and worthy just because you exist. Healing is finding home in your body again. Healing is being your own safe space.
A number of years on, I am still healing from my experience, but it begins to get a little easier as you build more positive memories beyond what happened to you in the past. Having a relationship that is healthy, and that we all deserve, is healing because I feel more safe now and I know my boundaries will be respected and I will be loved regardless of the level of intimacy. I am healing by enjoying experiences that make life feel worthwhile.
Trans ethnic adoption is a form of abuse. Finding your way back to your true home is possible no matter who has tried to get in your way.
Don't let your trauma be all that you are. You're more than what others may say. You're you, and that's what is so beautiful. Continue to fight, don't let what had caused you be this way, win once again. You're stronger than you think, we all are. Sometimes, we just need encouragement to see that. Good luck to all of my wonderful survivors, you're all different and coping differently, and that's so valid.
To other survivors who have gone through anything similar,
Please know that no matter what you will find people who can love you for you, and actually try to understand you as a person. You will heal. The nightmare will end. You'll wake up and suddenly the world will be so beautiful to you. You'll feel so much love, nothing like you've ever felt before, and everything will be okay.
Thank you for reading this. I wish I could give you a hot cup of tea and a big blanket to wrap yourself in. I'm sending you my love and hope and prayers. Please remember me.
i never thought i would let another man touch me after him. it's been just over a year and i met someone new and wonderful, and i've reclaimed myself and my body in a way i never would have dreamed was possible. keep the faith. i love you.
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