Trigger warning
She deserved so much more than the world threw at her.
Her abuse started at 4 and ended at 15.
She was raped, beaten, burnt, locked in a cupboard for long periods of time, she was trafficked and used for porn videos and her baby was killed.
I deserved better
Iโm angry, Iโm angry Iโm going to spend my life recovering from things I should have been protected from. Iโm angry I didnโt get to be a child. I should have been kept safe.
Iโm scared Iโm going to feel this way for the rest of my life.
My abusers probably donโt even give me or what they did to me a second thought, but what they did to me consumes me.
Iโm so tired.
For many, sleep is peace and comfort. For trauma survivors sleep is often nightmarish replays of things theyโve experienced.
How does one rest when resting is torment?
Feeling sorry for this little girl today, who was repeatedly abused for years previously and years after.
Iโm learning to not blame this little girl, but blame the perpetrators. Itโs a long journey but I canโt wait for the day I can say wholeheartedly that itโs not my fault.
I want so desperately to do something good with my trauma, but I feel like no good can come from it, Iโm just going to be stuck with this horror that I canโt heal. I want so desperately to be better, to help others, I just donโt know how to even help myself
I am more than what happened to me.
I am not just a survivor of abuse, I am also:
- a student
- a girlfriend
- an aunty
- a big cousin
- a granddaughter
- a daughter
- an advocate
I am more than what happened to me
The thought of graduating next October is wild to me because I never thought Iโd survive my childhood, and although it still continues to haunt me, I continue to fight in spite of it all.
Raw, uncut carrots are a trigger for me from my child abuse. I canโt touch them or look at them without starting to panic or experience flashbacks.
Today I pushed myself to try and peel some to help my partner whoโs prepping dinner.
I managed to peel 2 before having a flashback
Remembering my trial where they made me look at photos of my abusers flat after not seeing it for 5 years, and I had a panic attack on the stand and had to be dismissed until I could get my emotions under control. I was completely blindsided and itโs was so traumatic ๐ฅฒ
Trigger warning โ ๏ธ
You can find my story here, there is much more that unfortunately he couldnโt be convicted of due to lack of evidence, but this is the basics.
I hope that in sharing my story, I will be able to help others ๐ฅบ
This is
@notmyshameuk
, the things that happened to me are not my guilt and shame to hold. They are purely the shame of those who inflicted these crimes on me.
I am strong, I deserve love, I am not what happened to me.
Remembering sex ed in year 7, where I said โIโve had sexโ in front of my science teacher, because I didnโt know it was wrong, that what was happening to me was wrong.
I was told โstop being so childishโ and it was never followed up on.
That red flag shouldnโt have been ignored.
Someone was able to buy themselves a 2 million bottle of whiskey yesterday, and thereโs families in the UK literally starving themselves so they can feed their kids
While Iโm glad that one of my abusers has a 25 year sentence, and wonโt ever hurt anybody again, Iโll never forgive my โmotherโ for calling my bluff and forcing me to go through the whole process when I wasnโt ready.
@ejtayloruk
Grateful to have found you and to be on this journey with you ๐งก thank you for setting up such a vital and safe space for us survivors ๐งก
@myworldmywords
I had no hope, but watching other survivors continue to do things I thought I couldnโt inspired me.
Final year until graduation and Iโm so proud as I never thought Iโd get here ๐ฅบ thank you for adding to my inspiration ๐งก
One of the hardest things I will ever have to heal from is the fact my own mother didnโt believe me and didnโt stand by my side.
I think itโs something I will never fully heal from, but Iโll never forgive her, either.
I wonder why Iโm so cruel to myself but when I sit and think about the words I say to myself, theyโre not mine, theyโre my abusers.
โWhoreโ, โStupidโ, โUglyโ, etc etc etc are not what I should be saying to myself.
I donโt claim them anymore. He can have them back.
I just watched another video of my performance Friday night, and this one captures me at the end looking at my musical director and saying โI did itโ and shaking my head in disbelief.
Iโm so proud of the little things I have achieved this year ๐งก
@JonjayNeedham1
Honestly school was my safe haven, creating a safe environment that offered stability.
Teachers should learn the signs though of CSA and ensure that those signs are followed up.
Things may be different now but a lot of red flags were missed when I was growing up
Iโm actually having the time of my life performing in the local amdrams pantomime this year. I never thought Iโd get back into musical theatre, thinking I was too old, but youโre never too old to do something you love ๐ซถ
@ejtayloruk
When I finally did report my abuse to the police the fallout was immeasurable.
My mother protected my abuser and in doing so meant I lost the whole maternal side of the family. It was absolutely heartbreaking
Iโm extremely triggered by the news article about men going around right now so Iโm taking some space to myself. I hope youโre all looking after yourselves ๐งก
Been told today that my CBT will start a year from my previous appointment, so in August of 2024 ๐ค
I donโt want to live like this for that long ๐ฅน and it wonโt even cure me anyway because Iโll always be stuck with this trauma ๐ฅน im not feeling good at all today
What happens when you need a good cry but canโt seem to connect to your emotions?
You watch a soppy romance movie that makes you sob so at least youโre crying about something
Update on my loop earplugs, they have been a lifesaver for me today. Helped reduce sensory overload massively and allowed me to do things I didnโt think Iโd be able to. I definitely recommend them ๐ฅบ
Trigger warning โ ๏ธ
You can find my story here, there is much more that unfortunately he couldnโt be convicted of due to lack of evidence, but this is the basics.
I hope that in sharing my story, I will be able to help others ๐ฅบ
I narrowly avoided quite a big incident this evening, involving a blender and hot soup - you can guess what happened there.
The kitchen, and my face, arms and neck were splattered with boiling soup, and my first thought was โoh, I have to clean that off the wallsโ
So young you were to be fighting battles so big, but you kept fighting, and thriving and you survive against all odds.
You are so strong.
You are so brave.
You are so powerful.
I am proud of you, and I love you. ๐งก
Iโm trying to accept that the constant flashbacks are just my brain trying to process and heal, and that eventually they will be why Iโm well.
But right now, theyโre the reason Iโm incredibly unwell.
When I sleep, Iโm tortured. When Iโm awake, Iโm haunted. Haunted by the ghost of me, the soul of a child that died, but my body didnโt. Like I was supposed to die and those ghosts are following me, waiting to bring me back to where I belong.
An open letter to me.
Dear young me,
I guess firstly Iโd like to say Iโm sorry.
Iโm sorry you had nobody to protect you from the monsters that hurt you. Iโm sorry you were failed systematically by so many people. Iโm sorry your school ignored obvious red flags, and that when
Today is a huge trigger day for me, regardless of that I fought for myself and got my meds sorted, whereas before I would have left it and gone without.
Today is a huge milestone, even if I canโt see it yet.
I hate that I rely on medication to sleep, but the medication makes me unable to wake myself from nightmares. So I sleep, but itโs torture inside my mind. I never feel rested ๐
@SurvivorsMvmt
Thank you๐ฅบ
When Iโm well enough I hope to volunteer to help woman and girls who have suffered abuse with the organisation that saved my life (
@Shadows_Support
)
@DrEvans_Health
She didnโt believe me, and thought I would admit that I was lying when she went to the police. On the contrary, I continued to tell the truth, and secured a conviction against one of my abusers ๐ฅบ
@Troy_Righter
Itโs such a difficult balance. We need sleep to be able to cope with the day, but how do we cope with the nights? Everything feels so draining ๐ฅฒ
Whatโs everyoneโs favourite/most effective grounding methods?
These flashbacks are kicking my backside and Iโm struggling to stay grounded in the here and now.
#ptsd
#cptsd
#flashbacks
It wasnโt until I had cleaned the walls, floors and cupboards that I decided to pop myself in a cold shower and assess the damage.
In the instant I was โhurtโ my brain switched off my pain receptors. I didnโt feel any of the burn until an hour after the incident.
that made you think so little of yourself will no longer be around to hurt you.
You put the worst one in prison for 25 years, another stayed on remand but was unfortunately found not guilty due to lack of evidence, the others are nowhere to be found, but youโre safe now.
@DID_we_write
Itโs been mentioned to my CPN who said she wouldnโt mention it to the psychiatrist but nothing further has come from it yet ๐ฅบ
Thank you so much for your support, I might take you up on that soon ๐ฅบ๐งก
Today I was really struggling with the thought of eating.
I overcame this by going for a drive and slowly munching away while I was too busy concentrating on the road to argue with my brain about food