Stories

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Welcome to Our Wave.

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?

#412

Things get better. If you asked me ten years ago what I wanted from life I would have told you I wanted to die. I remember cutting my wrists so deep just to feel. I remember driving and praying somebody would just hit me and kill me. At the time I thought I was too coward to kill myself. Looking back; I think young me knew I still had some fight left to give. Now ten years later I sit here and type my story with a new appreciation for it. There is no more shame. I hate what happened to me but I am a strong woman from it. I have a career helpin...

Dear reader, the following story contains language of self-harm that some may find triggering or discomforting.

I am One.

A sexual assault does not define who you are and you are not alone.

How can I forgive my father, now deceased, for molesting me?

How can I forgive my father, now deceased, for molesting me?
I understand how people feel, and it is okay to feel anger towards that person who had stolen your childhood. I never forgave my father, and you also don't have to.
I have been happy that my father, the molester, is dead, and now he can't abuse any more children. Look around at the innocent faces of my siblings, nephew, and nieces whose childhood has been saved and rejoice in it. The past we dream of is lost, but we still hold the key to our bright and happy future.

Name … A/C Salesman Took Advantage

Healing to me is being free of PTSD. What happened will never go away, but being able to live with it without it taking over your body. Your thoughts, body aches, fatigue, flashbacks. I want to be free of the flashbacks. I want to feel safe in my own home again.

Friend or Foe?

I want to feel free. I don't want to feel his hands on me, or smell something that reminds me of that night. It's like I can't escape it. But I want to. So bad, I want to heal and be able to use it to help girls like me.

#409

They can steal our bodies. They can try to take what will never be theirs. But they cannot and will not EVER break our spirit. Know that your healing is within YOUR control and you have all that you need within you to take your power back.
You are not alone.

Anon R. My Story.

Healing is....Healing is accepting the pain and scars left behind from events that caused trauma. Healing is moving onto the future, no matter how unbelievably difficult it can be to let go of the past. I struggle with this myself, Healing is accepting that justice can be delivered, but also knowing that it may never come.

I was five

I was 5. He was 15-16. He was my cousin. In the summer i went to his familys house in another state, we were playing outside when he said he wanted to show me something, he took me into his moms closet and took me to take my pants and underwear off so he could see. My parents hadnt given me any talk about private parts as it was “taboo.” So i did and he took his pants down, he got closer and started to touch me. His mom came in because it had been a bit and saw him. She told me to pull my pants up and then they continued on with their day. I d...

Losing all sense

Healing means taking back my sexuality. I didn’t have sex again for over a year after he raped me. My whole first year of college was spent hiding my body and feeling sick at the thought of physical intimacy.

Some of my story

I am workworking through the healing process. It means moment by moment not hollaring out or speaking out in rage.
It involves attempting to calm the memories as they flood in after years of not speaking out.
The goal is to allow myself to eventually cry and not hate... To at least get to a place where I can speak without the rave and anger.

Letter to my accuser.

This act that was done to you is your story, don't let anyone make you feel ashamed for it. Stand tall and know that this part of your story is only a small part of you it does not define you. There is hope and recovery, you are important, choose to love you!

#400

i cant really remember when it all "started" i was 6 or 7 i believe it lasted until i was 8 but he was still doing creepy shit until i was 9 or 10 one night he asked me what sex was im not sure what i said but i think i kinda knew what it was but didnt really know he asked to have sex i didnt know what to do i think i "contented" this time i was anxious the entire time i wanted him to stop i would tell him to quit and that i hear someone and he wouldnt stop after that it continued i dont remember the order or anything it happened i dont rememb...

Me Too

Throughout all of the hardships I have endured because of another person's actions, I have learned to never allow yourself to be someone's victim.

1+ year of abuse at 14 now coping with CPTSD

i was 14, this was 6 years ago, and it completely altered my life route, who i am, and where i’m going. i was dating a guy. within the first month he had assaulted me several times, hit me, etc. he used to tell me we fought because that’s what people do when they love each other. he used to come up behind me and grab me sexually without me knowing he was there. this all happened at school, it was incredibly dehumanizing and embarrassing. it got even worse from there. i tried to leave him, he would then send me videos of him burning himself, me...

family member sexual abuse

it's not your fault, it never is your fault

Couldn't stay silent anymore

It will get better, it was not your fault, and there is always hope.

Old memories haunting

Honor the strength that got you to where you are right now.

Roofied and assaulted by mentor. Ignored by Company Department as a 19 year old intern

Unfortunately, people will not always support you. It's key to develop your own values and cut them off. Staying silent is still being complacent. It hurts like hell but in the long run, you'll cherish your close circle.

Stand strong

You are never alone in this fight. You are here today, reading this and I am so proud that you've made it this far. There are going to be dark days ahead and moments when the world falls apart but the strength you have to be here today is the same strength you will have to be here tomorrow.

Yoga, God, and a ride-share driver

Yoga saved my life during the two years I spent with my former abuser. He would grab me by my throat and bite me with his false teeth, he had them young. He held me with those teeth in such a way that he knew I would be still in between yelling in my face, due to not wanting to get my face ripped or cut into. The bruises went away quickly and I prayed there would never be a

Unapologetically Surviving Community

1 new update

Desperate to be loved, but at what price?

Healing means peace. Healing means acceptance. Healing means you don't have to prove yourself in order to be loved.

#391

I feel so alone! I'm a mom of adult girls, a director in my organization, A wife.... a victim,,, how at my age (37) could this happen?? A few drinks at a charitable event, I fell unconscious and was sexually assaulted! I feel, embarrassed, ashamed, sad and mostly.. alone.

1 new update

11111 story of hope 333

hope is totally possible, i was not a believer in hope but finally i changed my mindset to what has happened and took control if my recovery healing. hope hope hope its where you least expect it, it starts with you!!!

male survivor nervous around women

To male survivors: You are still a man! and tbh since seeking help for my trauma and being more open about it makes me feel more of a man.

Am I still a man?

Your friends will still like you.

You Are Not Alone and Not Your Fault

“You are not alone. It was not your fault. It is possible to heal. It is not too late.”
When you've been sexually abused by a pedophile, it creates issues and experiences that, in recovery, are very difficult for non-abuse survivors to understand. Even 45 years after the abuse ended (as in my case), you still respond to stress and certain circumstances that are just not relatable to others who have not been through the same mess.

#385

it's ok to cry - you are still brave

The Park Monster

I was sexually assaulted by a man, a former friend, a former acquaintance. In his parkside apartment in City... He proceeded to torment me with litigation abuse for two years after the sexual violence ended.

COCSA (you are not alone)

cocsa
I’m barely 18 and I recently realized that i was sexually abused and assaulted well over 20+ times. (this story is just abt the cocsa)
It’s hard. Really hard.
I don’t necessarily feel dirty. I just feel used and mourn for my younger self.
The first time it happened i was 4/5, i had just moved to a new village and befriended the neighbors kid. She was a little over a year older than me. Stronger and more dominant than me. But we were good friends. Untill she told me to play doctor with her. At first i thought it was cool, fun, excitin...

Janette's story

I have four children, they are all adults now. I fell pregnant at 21 and my father insisted we got married. The first slap he gave me was on our wedding night, and him saying, what the fuck did I get married for. After two sons were born he beat me up whilst pregnant with our daughter, and then as I lay injured upstairs he came in the bedroom and forced himself on me. My 17 years with this brute have affected me all my life. He slept around and had zero respect for me and also shouted at the children. We were all scared of him, but in the end...

Survivor

Hello, my name is Survivor. When I was 14 years old I was sexually assaulted by a 23 year old man. I went on into my teenage years not knowing how to work through it, but sought out male attention through my trauma and also my childhood of not feeling close or loved by a main male figure in my life. My very first relationship was with a narcissist who was emotionally abusive. After 2 years I broke up with this person, but my hurt and trauma piled up. In my 20’s I was with another narcissist in a long term relationship and had a child with....

Hope is Healing.

With love and support you can lead a happy life once again whether you receive justice or not. It takes time but there is hope.

toxic relationship

i wanted to be happy

Dear Name

I was 15. I smoked marijuana occasionally (as I was in my teen angst phase). I had a boy bestfriend and was also in a relationship, not necessarily a healthy one at all but I was in one. One night I felt depressed due to being stood up for a date to the lake I was supposed to have that day. Normally I smoke when I felt down and I felt overwhelmingly down that night; so I smoked a bit too much accidentally. I eventually started greening out and tripping very badly so I messaged my boy bestfriend to calm me down (my bf at the time had went to sl...

My Story

Just remember that you are not alone. No matter how big our small your situation may be, there will always be people here to support you. You are loved. You matter.

The Brutal Truth Most Forget…

Tears fall from my face when I have flashbacks. The amount of times I’ve ran to the washroom and cried remembering those nights. Frozen in fear, unable to move. Feeling his hands on my skin. And hearing his voice as he tries to make sure I’m not awake. The excuses I’ve heard and the disbelief I’ve been through, that I still go through. Most dont believe my story, they believe his because “how could he do that?” They act like he never added the second part of his side; he admitted to touching me without consent. People don’t realize that...

Survivor Spaces Community

You are not alone, you are a survivor

You are not alone; you are a survivor.
Hebrew 10:17-18 You are not partially forgiven. You are perfectly forgiven.
Revelation 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Is this child on child sexual abuse?

When I was six( possibly younger) there was this neighbor that often came to our house together with his parents. The adults always stayed in the living room and my siblings, he and I went to another room where we would play this game witch involved running so I would get tired and lay on the bed, he would lay right next to me at and ask things like " Are you tired? I can give you a massage" I would always refuse and be super uncomfortable but he persisted. I also remember laying on his arm and him laying on my shoulder and to this day I can't...

Buried in the fog

I've come to terms with the truth of my past and learned not to be ashamed of how long it's taken me to deal with it. I've grieved the years lost and hope for the years to come. I know my life has been on hold but little by little I find my voice and my strength. And I find compassion for the times when it feels like I'm still facing backward. Bit by bit, stone by stone I'm recognizing my wholeness.

They can never hurt me again. by: Survivor

You are worth forgiving. You are enough. You are strong. You are beautiful. This does not define who you are it is only the experience you've learned valuable lessons from.

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