I wouldn’t be quite as rich as Diane claims, but I’ve had a fair number of people, many in unexpected places, share their stories of being abused as a child with me, too. The problem is much, much, larger than most people think it is.
“If I had a nickel for every person who shared with me that they had been sexually abused, I’d be richer than Jeff Bezos.”
Having people in my life who I can talk to has been a massive support in my healing. Being able to tell my story with my voice has been a huge blessing for me.
I’m also acutely aware of the downside when it goes wrong, however. I know too many survivors who’ve been further damaged when trying to share their story as opposed to getting the support they were desperately seeking. Please, be careful with your story and yourself.
The Father’s Day Problem tags: CA ChildAbuse Column: Depression thrives on secrecy and isolation – it’s time to speak out tags: CA Depression 5 Mistakes People Make When Managing Their Depression tags: CA Depression Depression, Anxiety and Life’s Ups and Downs tags: CA Depression How to Trust People Again | After Trauma tags: CA ChildAbuse Posted…
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It’s the insistence that everyone around you also is positive all the time, demanding “Good Vibes Only” as the article points out, that worries me. Because people in real pain, social issues that cause real harm, etc. are not good vibes. When a team was winning gold medals, no one wanted to do more than focus on that success, and repeated stories of abuse went ignored. Is our constant need for positivity forcing us to ignore racism, homelessness, abuse, and many other social issues that we need to do more than give passing support to on social media?
Maybe most importantly, are there people in our lives right now hurting, who desperately need our support, who we are ignoring because they bring us down?
Peer Support: A Model for People Helping People Heal Website Helps College Students Deal with Mental Health Issues Childhood emotional neglect, the long-lasting impact of what wasn’t there. How Talking About Suicide Can Give People Something to Live For Child sexual abuse: Parents, don’t think it can’t happen to your child 5 Ways to Improve…
