Get Involved
Share Your Story Update Story Read Stories About Our WaveResources
Resources Survivor Q & A Get Involved
Share Your Story Update Story Read Stories About Our WaveResources
Resources Survivor Q & AMedium
Narrative
Artwork
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 who is blind or has a visual impairment
a Person with a speech or language impairment
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?
Please background check your facilitators prior to working with them.
There is always light at the end of the tunnel. There is always hope as "hope is a thing with feathers." There is help out there and there is always someone willing to listen. Things always get better in the end, there is so much more to look forward to. You are not your past trauma. There is a future out there, waiting.
You are good enough, you always have been. You are not determined by what others think, say, or do.
1 new update
Healing means comfort and weaning off of comfort until I don’t need it anymore
What happened to you is valid. Trauma is trauma, and don’t let anybody make you believe you’re being dramatic because you’re not. Your hurt is valid and I believe you. And I support you.
My roommate took advantage of me, took advantage of me needing to move out of a dangerous environment, took advantage of my naivety, took advantage of my trust in them. I will never get to be the same because of you. I will try my whole life for something I will never achieve.
In the aftermath of sexual abuse, frustration is likely the first emotion to surface. The violation of trust and safety inherent in sexual abuse breeds anger and a sense of powerlessness in the abused. This frustration is a natural response to the trauma. The abuser's actions shatter the survivor's sense of control and security over their own body, leaving them feeling angry and powerless. Why does this happen? Sexual abuse is a deeply personal violation. It disrupts the fundamental sense of safety and well-being that we all rely on.
1 new update
To love myself fully and free myself from shame. To trust other people who care for me and have a stable unchanging perspective of who they are (currently hard due to my dissociation). To understand my story and how it's impacted fully so I can own it. To go back to work and manage normal life stressor without having a break down.
When I was 3, I began being sexually abused by my 11 year old half sister. We would go into my room and she would lock the door. We would hump each other and touch each other. Sometimes without clothes and sometimes with. This went on for months until we moved into a different house. At this house, my parents started babysitting a boy from our church who was 3 years older than me. He would make me lay on the floor while he touched all over my body and humped me. I felt so disgusted with myself for so many years. At 18, I was raped by a boy I h...
You are not alone.
Keep fighting.
You are a survivor.
“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.”
Samuel Smiles
Is something Im trying to remember. Also knowing you are not alone, someone out there will listen to you and will believe you.
Hope is seeing the work people do for the people that have been through darkest and toughest time.
I sincerely hope that you get the help you deserve because no one deserves to go through something like this
Healing is acceptance, forgiveness and being able tomove forward
Dear reader, the following story contains language of self-harm that some may find triggering or discomforting.
Jesus loves you and me and He wants us to heal and He WILL punish those who harmed us in the worst way.
If nothing else is true in life, it is that the sun always rises. It might be cloudy. It might rain, or it might storm. But no matter what, no day lasts forever. No feeling lasts forever. Even if it hurts right now, and it feels like someone is ripping out your soul—I promise that the feeling does not last forever.
To the other survivors, I want you to know that you aren’t alone in this and that it’s not your fault. It was never your fault.
For any survivor reading this, you are not alone.
I come from a quite large family where abuse and neglect happened on a daily base, the abuse happened starting from 2 to around 13, I was very isolated and had a lot to learn when I was saved. I wasn't aware of all the dangers and knew nothing about healthy boundaries. I learned to be invisible and submissive. I quickly learned that my past caused me to be revictimized, I felt no self worth and thought the only way I was loved was by giving away my body to strangers, strangers who took advantag...
Always remember it is NEVER your fault. Don't let people twist your mind into thinking you caused anything of what happened to you. The problem lies with the PERPETRATORS and the ABUSERS. THEY are the ones who have the problem, NOT YOU. Find those that DO support you, and keep them close and in your heart.
To anyone who needs hope if you need a hug know I'm one you can trust to pray for you. I'll do my level best to support you. Be strong my dears and know God loves you and will help you heal too. Just ask and you shall find. I'm here too if you need me at all. Hoping to go to a take back the night event this year in villagenear my town.
I wish that all those who hurt you could be punished. Just know that you didn't deserve this treatment, you deserve only the best. Anyway, I'm really sorry that you had such an experience. I hope there will be less violence of any kind in the world. We deserve to live in a safe world.
It may take time and it is not easy and you are not alone but I promise it is possible to move forward and help others who have been in the same situation
Dear reader, the following story contains language of self-harm that some may find triggering or discomforting.
Healing isn't always linear, there are ups and downs to every healing process. Just remind yourself that you didn't ask for that and it wasn't your fault.
It is always difficult to tell your story, and to grow from it and not let it define you. But there is always hope and a brighter future then what happened. And yes, it SUCKS to grow thru it, and have those memories. But stay strong, everything heals and time definitely helps.
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!
It truly will get better. People will believe you. I believe you.
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.
