Medium
Narrative
Artwork
I was at...
Home
Work
School / University
Bar / Restaurant
Military
Social Event
On a Trip
Other
The offender was a...
Stranger
Acquaintance
Non-Romantic Friend
Casual / First Date
Romantic Partner
Family Member
Authority Figure
I identify as...
Asian
Black / African
Hispanic / Latino
Indigenous / Native American
Multiracial
White
My sexual orientation is...
LGBTQ+
Straight
Lesbian / Gay
Bisexual
Pansexual
Queer
I identify as...
Man
Woman
Transgender
Non-binary
Gender-fluid
I was...
A Child
A Teenager
A Young Adult
An Adult
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?
To all the trans survivors out there: Do not fear joining a sexual assault therapy group at your school. I was the only trans woman in a group of cis women, yet all the cis women were so incredibly kind and welcoming, and focused on how we could all mutually support one another.
If you feel trapped in a relationship like this and you do not feel safe, go to someone for help. You might not be strong enough alone.
I had a friend from high school who reached out to me because we matched on Tinder. I didn't get off work until 9pm, but I still wanted to catch up with him. He said he would cook me some food and we could watch a movie or just talk. I trusted him. When I walked in his apartment, I had a weird feeling but I pushed it away because I knew him. I didn't think he could ever hurt me, I was wrong. We were watching his favorite show, Dragon Ball Z. I've never seen it before, so I thought I would make him happy and watch it with him. Then he started p...
Yes it’s OK to speak up no matter what happens the outcome will always be in the right direction
It started with First Name. My first date, my first kiss, my first disapointment. As a shy teen i spent many hours on chat sites and messenger. First Name spent the night with me in my university dorm but thankfully we didnt get past some heavy petting and a kiss or 2. I think after thst he just wanted to get rid of me so the next day he added his friend, Name 2, into our messenger chat. Name 2 didn't hide the fact he was 42, he sent me a picture of himself and at first our chats were friendly and lighthearted. He showed intere...
We will get through this together. If we unite and stick together, we will get justice and give these rapists the bad karma that's been coming for them.
My school district was supposed to give me my first (and only) sex-ed talk in fifth grade. Somehow, my class was skipped.
My mother gave me her version of "the talk" multiple times growing up. But it was always her idea of what was age-appropriate to tell me. Metaphors about the birds and the bees, telling me how babies are born. Telling me to tell her before I decided to have sex for the first time.
Remember that you are not alone. I remember when I told people and they didn’t listen. It hurt me so much but don’t stop not until your heard. Don’t ever blame yourself or think it’s based off of anything you did.
It was something and it mattered. I wish someone had said that to me back then in fall of 2015. Don't let anybody including yourself tell you it doesn't matter and that your experience should not be heard, because it does and it should.
I was in psychotherapy at the time, but while it helped me unfreeze from the stasis and lack of verbal expression I had been enduring during my youth and young adulthood, sadly it did not prevent this abuse nor help me know what to do about it and how to react to it.
I'm a 19-year-old Filipina girl from city in the Philippines. My father raped me when I was 11 years old. It lasted for over three years. When I was 13 years old and had my first period, he stopped. He works as a seafarer, and when he comes home, I always feel scared and intimidated. I didn't want to tell my mother because she would either not believe me or launch a lawsuit against my father, and since he is our family's breadwinner, we would struggle to live. For years, our mother also verbally and physically mistreated us, even taunting...
Grandma’s house
I don't Think anyone really Knows how long It really Went On. I don't remember how old I was when it started either. I don't really know the age I was when any of It happened. I tried to block out most of it. I was young we lived in a little blue house. Grandpa would babysit me and my older brother Name. Because mom worked Before School and didn't come home till 5, we would go up the hill to grandma's house before and after school. Grandma was a nurse, So She was gone at the Same time as mom was, so grandpa watched us. Gra...
I am now engaged to that friend of mine that rescued me and we plan to be married this summer. He is so wonderful to me always. Sex isn't even in our relationship right now. I am seeing a councilor and a trauma therapist and trying to get a better me back
It spent years going from one bad relationship to the next because I felt like all of my worth was based on if someone actually wanted to be with me. It wasn’t until I had my daughter that I realized that I had to love myself, even if my only motivation at the time was her. I left my relationship with her abusive father with nothing but the knowledge that there had to be something better. I met an amazing man that understood that I didn’t have anything to give to a relationship until I was okay with myself. I cried myself to sleep every night...
My message would be, you do what you need to survive and move on with your life. Each person is different and people need to understand your hurt can be different than theirs.
What new can there be to say? You are not alone in that so many have had these sometimes terrifying experiences. Life changes. We change. Open the window.
Find the best doors to open and walk through into a better life. Inner strength can grow. Love and compassion are available.
The first time I was raped, I did not know it.
Blaring music and spilled drinks, you were there
Persistent, like a dog. Nagging, Nagging, Nagging.
Hands running down my thighs, the phrase “babe it’ll make me feel better.”
Your words clanging in my head, pounding like hammers against my ears
it's true what they say; healing isn't linear. healing is a messy room and sometimes laying in it for long enough to know being uncomfortable for too long means it's time for a change. it means that it's okay to avoid pools and beaches if you're afraid of water, but after a while, knowing that it's okay to dip your toes in again when you're ready. and even if you can't do it now, it doesn't mean no one will ever love someone that's afraid to go swimming.
I’m not going to promise you it gets better because I don’t know if it does. You can get better at dealing with trauma however it may never go away and that is something that is difficult coming to terms with. All I can advise is do not let what happened to you define you. You are how you deal with life not how life deals with you.
Hope can mean a lot of different things to different people hope can be found in therapies, some find it in god or religion and others may find it in other people understanding them or you understanding yourself. i used to think there was no hope for me. i have recently found it in someone who is very close to me. i built up the courage to share my story because i was at my breaking point and thought all hope was lost. just sharing my story with this person and hearing them say they want to help gave it to me. it was simple for me though, it m...
Dear survivor,
I BELIEVE YOU.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
YOU ARE LOVED.
I wish I could take your pain away. I know you will get through this. You made it this far and I am so proud of you. DO NOT stop fighting!!!!!! YOU ARE WORTH IT.
Love,
Your friend.
Go deep inside...to the very center of your being...and embrace your life...awaken to the knowledge that you cannot change the past...awaken to the knowledge that you have beauty and strength and courage greater than before. You have the right to be a survivor without fear or shame or guilt. A peace will settle upon you.... You are "more" now...more than before...more than others around you...more than you may even think possible. It is called truth. When you honor the truth...then the steps that follow.... You get to call.... resolve.
No matter how low it gets, your still here, and that’s a miracle itself. Keep going, get help, and know that it’s not your fault.
I know it hurts but please don't isolate yourself. Share your pain with the ones that love you. I promise you, you will breathe again.
“Why did you go?” “No one forced you to go.” “What were you wearing?”
“What did you eat earlier that day?” “Are you sure you didn’t hallucinate?” “Why did you drink?”
“Why?”
“Why?” “Why?”
Why is it always the victim being asked these questions and never the perpetrator?
When I was 18 I was raped and physically assaulted by a friend of mine at the time. He was 3 years older than me and it was his 21st birthday. It took me a year to accept what happened, and 4 years to get help through counseling. I used to feel a lot of guilt for not getting help sooner and the way my trauma affected other people in my life/people I was in relationships with. I also hated and still sometimes hate the way it affects me 6 years later, but I’m learning that things don’t always go away on their own and it’s okay to reach out for...
Believe in yourself. No matter what happens, remember that you're the only one you can trust and you're the only person who will never do anything wrong to you. And never ever lose hope. Even in the darkest hours of our lives, if we know how to shine in the dark, we eventually get to know how to get out of the dark. Always be yourself. I believe in you. You can do it.
I was sexualy assulted when i was in fifth grade leading me to isolate from my friends and then i started to get bullied and had my first suicide attempt lated that year years later im at a public school were i feel safe.
Hope is knowing you will heal ...
Surviving everyday knowing that you will learn to feel okay someday
Dear reader, the following story contains language of self-harm that some may find triggering or discomforting.
You are strong. Even if it doesn't feel like it, just know you've survived through every bad day you've ever had. You made it to this point, and thats amazing.
I absolutely love you, even if I don't know you. I might not know what your going through but I want you to keep fighting. You are a survivor and a warrior. You can do this. I believe in you.
Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I remember. The longer I get away from it, the better it is.
Your message helps survivors to feel heard, believed, and supported. You can send as many messages as you would like, and you can always view the impact you have helped make on the community page.
Updates, events, and ways to help out. Directly to your inbox.
Our Wave is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an anonymous service. For additional resources, visit the RAINN website or the It’s On Us campaign. If this is an emergency, please contact your local emergency service.
