Christina: When I talk about my childhood sexual abuse, I see it as an opportunity to validate my inner child. As I reveal the horror of what happened to her, I’m inviting her out of the shadows of fear and shame. She’s accustomed to other’s dismissive denial, but telling the truth gives her the honor she deserves.

Bethany: I remember my childhood nightmare of screaming with all my might but no noise would come out. Holding in the secret abuse is just like that. I was constantly screaming inside but no one heard me. Finally, I made myself heard. I first began sharing when I was nineteen....

My whole life, (I'm 17), I've had to live with the abuse expressed in this poem. And for a very long time, I believed I was everything she сказал(-а) I was. Until I met God. I learnt a lot еще about myself and who I could be and deserved to be and finally left. It's been almost a год now, and life couldn't be any happier for me!

Couldn't Be еще Wrong

© May Winter

You told me that Любовь wasn't meant for me
That I was the burden that everyone didn't need.
You let me be violated, stripped of all my pride
Took no acknowledgment of the hurt I tried to hide.
You looked at me in disgust whenever I passed...

I hate blood and gore, but I Любовь watching medical shows. When they Показать mangled flesh, I have to cover my eyes. It’s hard to imagine all the pain the person is suffering and even if they can be saved, the struggle that recovery requires. Sometimes I think it would be easier to let the person die because I don’t understand how someone could possibly recover and have a real life after having their body so torn. But the doctors don’t think like that; they understand the healing process and they’ve seen what their skillful work plus the restorative abilities of the human body can accomplish....

Does time heals all wounds? I’ve heard many survivors of abuse try to soothe themselves by saying, “Soon, this will pass.” It does take time to heal—and lots of it. But time alone won’t repair the soul mutilation of abuse anymore than it will repair the destruction caused by an earthquake. Sexual abuse ravages the depths of your being and to be restored, you’ll need to face each wounded area. Healing takes great quantities of perseverance, courage, strength and yes, time.

Recognizing the Abuse

The first step in beginning to heal from any kind of abuse is to recognize and acknowledge...