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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
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-fluid
Genderqueer
I identify as...
a Person with a physical disability
a Person who is neurodivergent
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?
It does get better and no matter what, always remember: ITS NOT YOUR FAULT! I am doing much better now and I am in a stable and loving relationship with a respectful guy almost 2 years later. You are loved and you are strong. You got this!
When most teenagers get their wisdom teeth pulled, they’re scared of cursing in front of their parents. I’m scared of revealing my deepest secret.
I'm trying not to judge myself and be kind to myself and to not blame myself. What would I say to a friend? I try to say that to myself.
1 new update
I am a survivor of therapist abuse, emotional manipulation, and grooming behaviors from Name, which I experienced while undergoing Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. I came to Location, full of hope that I would get to access this kind of therapy as a lifelong, low-income person who has experienced immense trauma starting at the age of two. I had heard of the benefits and life-changing experiences that others had experienced with this type of therapy and was hoping for the same. Without access to the sliding scale cost model that Location...
Dear reader, the following story contains language of self-harm that some may find triggering or discomforting.
It does get better. Don't blame yourself or force yourself to confront or forgive anyone. And don't feel guilty for being mad at them and constructing angry fantasies against your abuser. Just don't act on them for 'revenge'. Sometimes the best revenge is a life well lived.
Healing is NOT forgetting. You will never forget, or maybe forgive, but you can heal. You must take control of your mind and take control of your life. You got this! ❤❤❤
I met my abuser Month, Year at a indinginous pipe ceremony. The community met often. I would speak to him and his wife on occasion. I realized later that he was there to recruit people for his medicine retreats, his tantra events and he would search out his victims. What a better place where there are impressionable people wanting to heal, looking for something to help. He would tell me I needed to try mushrooms, to help with my depression and anxiety. I did stop taking my antidepressants on Date cause another person of “good standin...
You are valid and you are so very strong. There’s a reason why you’re called a survivor - you survived some very traumatic experiences. Be patient and kind to yourself during your healing journey<3 I’m rooting for you!!
If you are reading this please know you are not alone. When I was 15 years old and had just gotten back from eating disorder treatment, I was lonely, lost, and vulnerable. I had zero sexual experience, in fact I had never had my first kiss yet. One night I went to a small party, and drank a lot without knowing my limits because I had never drank before. Long story short, I blacked out and only remember bits and pieces of the night. Unfortunately I have a few memories that I can never forget. A completely sober boy came to the party and ended u...
The summer before fifth grade, me and my brothers decided to have a sleepover in the living room. I always had the hardest time falling asleep, so I was the last one up. Or at least I thought I was. My oldest brother, who is 15 months older, came and sat by my feet. He somehow brought up his genitals, I honestly don’t remember the conversation, I just remember being uncomfortable. Then, he pulled down his pants and started touching himself. He then started touching my genitals too. I didn’t know what to do. So I just sat there. I still don’t k...
Healing to me means understanding that after a major trauma, there is no going back to the old normal. This is the hard truth. Trauma creates a major life disruption. Full stop.
But the real healing is learning to find a new normal, not papering over, or trying to pretend you are the old you. It is learning to accept this new you, warts, scars, and all. The new you might be different but still amazing.
A message to another survivor: I am living proof that healthy relationships with self and others are possible! I used to feel cursed and now I feel blessed. Keep going, you got this. If anyone can do it, it's you.
I've never done something like this before. Sharing my story anonymously on the internet isn't something I would have considered before. But I have few friends, and no one I feel comfortable talking about these things with, either because I don't know them quite well enough, or because I can't stand the thought of telling them about my own failings that lead to these situations.
2 new updates
Don't matter what you are or do, you are in charge of your life. There is still hope.
You are more than a conqueror and you are more than what happened to you. As heartbreaking and traumatic your experience was, it does not define who you are and created to be.
I also believe in hope, and in your strength. I got out of a violent, abusive marriage despite the fact few people believed my story at first. Don't worry about proving anything, just take the next step to help yourself heal, you are worth it, and deserve peace.
I believe in you I believe that you have another courage to speak up and get justice if that’s what you want you deserve justice even if you think you don’t
I think I am a victim of COCSA. I've only told two people of this and they are my closest friends that I am associated with and that I love dearly, they mean the absolute world to me, and they have told me that I am. When I was a child, about 5 or so, my family brought me to my cousins house. (I don't remember how old he was or exactly how old I was, just that we were young) That night we were doing the usual things kids do, sitting on the couch watching a movie and playing games with his siblings, until he grabbed my hand and said, "Come here...
The memories won't go away if you push them away.
1 new update
i haven't even started my own journey yet. if I were to give advice, it would be to be patient with yourself and don't push yourself to admit things that you're not ready to. it took me many months of talking it thru with my therapist and ongoing discussions to even utter the words "abuse". and even longer to fathom that I had been thru sexual trauma.
This is my life story, well, at least the major events that come to mind. There are aspects of my life that I have either blocked out or chosen not to remember. When I was about 5 years old, my grandfather on my mother’s side started molesting me. It went on for a while, and I vividly remember crying to my mom, begging her not to make me go back there one weekend. In response, she looked at me and asked if my grandfather was touching me. I mustered the courage to say yes, hoping for support. To my dismay, she told me that my grandfather was si...
"When a Safe Space Shatters: Why Adults May Not Believe a Young Person's Abuse Story" delves into the complex dynamics surrounding the disbelief of young individuals who disclose abuse, particularly when it involves sexual abuse. It highlights the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance, where individuals struggle to reconcile the shocking truth of abuse with their preconceived notions of the perpetrator and their family. This internal conflict often leads to denial, even in the face of evidence.
Narzissten wollen nicht heilen, sie wollen zerstören, sie haben die Verbindung zu sich selber verloren, vor allem zu Gott.
Materialismus, Profitgier, auf dem Rücken der Arbeitnehmer, jeden Tag ist eine Ambulanz vor den Türen, die Mitarbeiter sind so erschöpft, dass manche mit der Ambulanz abgeholt werden müssen und es wird immer schlimmer.
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