I got an email recommending this site to me, Triumph over Tragedy. Of course, I set up this blog just for that purpose to pass along reviews and other resources for survivors, so naturally I want to pass this along as well. Michael Skinner is a survivor who has now turned his focus to motivating and encouraging survivors of trauma in their healing through telling his story, and through his music.
Check it out, and if you’ve heard Michael speak, share your experience!
This is really interesting. We should spend some time looking at the people who didn’t go through with it, and why. But some stories about suicide are hopeful: For every person who dies by suicide each year, another 280 people think seriously about suicide but do not kill themselves, according to data from the CDC…
I liked what Arien has to say in this video, because this is one of the largest hurdles survivors run in to when it comes to healing from abuse, putting it in the proper perspective. “Abuse strips us of the ability to feel safe in this world. We were shown the darkest sides of humanity,…
I return to number 3 on this list often: 3. Take It One Day at a Time If you sit down and think that you have another month or more before life returns to normal, you will naturally gravitate towards depression. To prevent that, live life one day at a time. Concern yourself with…
I’ve talked about this before. As a male survivor, I have spent years on this site dealing with people that simply assumed I was gay, for no other reason than the fact that I was abused by a male perpetrator. I’ve known plenty of other men who’ve been shunned because of a similar assumption, or the much worse assumption that survivors, especially male survivors or gay men, are likely to turn around and also sexually abuse others.
None of this is accurate. Yes, the abuse can leave you feeling unsafe and uncomfortable in your own body and with your own sexuality. That is a side effect of being raped sometimes. That is not something anyone should be ashamed to talk about and no matter where they land on the spectrum of gender and sexual preference they deserve the respect and privacy to figure that out themselves. None of us asked your opinion, and none of us want to hear about your own illusions of how sexuality works after being sexually abused at a young age.
The more mature attitude is to recognize that healing from sexual abuse is a process that looks different for everyone, whether they are gay, straight, bisexual, non-binary and any other thing you want to consider. We all deserve a better response than to be accused of bringing it upon ourselves.
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Mike Skinner, guitarist, singer and speaker, performed at our Power to Peers pre-conference in Salisbury, NC on October 22, 2008. 97% of attendees rated his performance as very good to excellent. After the performance of 90 minutes he took time to talk to many who were touched by his story. As a finale he had the audience sing Stand By Me to show their peer support. I would recommend Mike whole heartedly. Bonnie Schell
Thanks for posting this…very cool!! and also THANK YOU for the great advocacy work that you are doing with this web page & blog – good for you and good for the world!!! take care, Mike
Mike and I have similar scars. We were both victim/survivors of child abuse. Mike is a prolific speaker. His story, hard for him to speak about every time he is at the podium, but his talks urge his listeners to become more acutely aware of the plights that one of every six children, even today, are suffering. Many in attendance at his presentations are moved to go back into their world and spread the word of this tragedy, many forming their own groups to help others.
Mike’s writes all his own music and sings about the trauma and suffering of abuse and the hope for those who are helped. This ability to convey the message through music is a gift at which Mike excels. I defy anyone to listen to Mike and not come away with a tear in their eye. Keep carrying on the magnificent work Mike! Together we can help put a stop to the horrors of abuse.