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?

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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.

1 new update

#358

Whenever I feel hopeless and feel as if I will never feel better or I won't recover from this experience, I listen to the Song "Always look on the bright side of Life" from "Monty Pythons Life of Brian". I don't know if it will help others, but that is what helps me and gives me back my happiness

suffocating

just when i think i'm healing, i feel like i’m suffocating. like the whole world around me is collapsing in on itself and i’m in the centre of it all. and just as i finally get to take a breath, it collapses further and crushes me until i can’t take the weight and the pressure anymore. i can't escape my memories, can't escape my body. i'm trapped.

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

Now I'm Never the Same

The only way I've been able to make some process of healing is by sharing my story and making my voice heard. I hope that others can heal just like I am trying to.

Being the teacher's pet

Hey, from one survivor to another, I don't know who you are, or what you've been through, but I hope this will help.
My joy and life were stolen from me at a young age, and it was not my choice. But now that I am older, I am learning to take my life back. I share my story, I take my mind of the memories through pottery.

1 new update

This Happened To Me

When I was 20 I was in college and I agreed to live with someone I knew name name for the summer while I worked a summer job. name had a number of disquieting habits that always kind of bothered me. He would tend to get into my personal bubble not my personal space too often. He also had a habit of seeming to get lost in the middle of the night going back to his bedroom from the bathroom. One night name opened my door and was standing in my room when I woke up and I said what's going on name? He said oh I must've gotten lost or...

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

It's not your fault

Often time when something bad happens to us are minds have a way of turning on us. Making us believe that what we experienced was are fault. When in fact it was out of our control. I knew what happened to me was not my fault yet I blamed myself. This response is common and I'm here to tell you, it wasn't your fault.

#362

when i was 10 there was this older boy i really liked and we used to hang out in his basement and play video games and i decided i wanted to be his girlfriend. i tried to flirt with him and told him i liked him and he would always laugh and change the subject but i had hope. then one time he asked to kiss me and i was elated and agreed. so we kissed. and this happened a few times before he said he wanted to touch my chest and i wasn't sure about it but i wanted him to like me so i agreed. then he wanted to see me naked. and i told him that in...

Friends for over 20+ years...my friend's husband

I think anyone who can overcome this kind of trauma is amazing.

The Night I Was Betrayed

Hello there. My name is Survivor. I’m 25 and live in California. Before I was get started, on my story, I want to add that I’m a disabled adult with minor Cerebral Palsy. It was October 2014 and I was in my second month of being 18. This was before I came out as Transgender. One night, my mom left for work. After that, her boyfriend and I decided to watch a program on tv. It was, I believe, “South Park.” All of a sudden, I felt a warm sensation inside my underwear and began feeling “wet” down there. I knew what was happening but hid my “m...

#360

Have trust in yourself and believe in yourself because if I’m getting through it i know you can too❤️‍🩹

jessie

I have not learned healing yet.

#357

I KNOW that right now there is someone who needs to hear this story (please see questions below).
YOU wanted him. He was the most handsome boy in the neighbourhood and every girl wanted him - BUT - he raped you.
It has taken 27 years for me to acknowledge the tipping point of my decent into sexual promiscuity and substance abuse. I always blamed myself for the choice to be in that room with him - I asked for it. Right? Wrong.

Yoga.

I never liked yoga. It was hard, it hurt, and I especially hated the woman who forced me to do it.
Ah, stepmothers. As if my own father wasn’t shitty enough. As if he hadn’t already tried to kill me when I was 7. As if he hadn’t done enough to traumatise me, he goes ahead and marries her.

#355

I was waiting at a city bus stop. I saw a man across the street, he was very dirty and obviously not in his right mind. I tried to avoid eye contact but he already saw me. He crossed the street and started shouting at me. Asking for my name and where I lived. I tried to hide in a convenience store until he left. My phone was on 5 percent so I couldn’t call anyone to help me. At one point I thought he had left so I walked back out. He was actually hiding behind a sign and came back out once he saw I had come back. I ran back inside the store....

I Hate Him.

Dear guy,
I still remember the night I told people that I had a “crush on my best guy friend”. I was out with friends downtown to see the Christmas tree. In my attention seeking way I announced that I had a HUGE crush on the tall curly haired boy who happened to be one of my best guy friends. As teenage girls do when someone shares their crush, they swooned over photos of you and giggled as I relayed your best qualities. Truth be told, it wasn’t you. You weren’t the special guy who caught my heart. That was a point in my life where I was s...

#352

I remember feeling like I would never recover. That no one would understand me. That no one would listen and if they did nothing would change. My hope was my voice. I shut it out for so long but, as soon as I started opening up and seeking help my healing began. Hope is knowing your future is bigger brighter than what your abuser has stolen. I found hope with other survivors because they carried a weight I also did but have grown beautiful things from it.

First Boyfriend

Dig deep and find your authentic self. That sounds hokey, I'm sure, but that's part of what is helping me to heal. I still have a hard time saying I'm a good person and that I deserve all the love my husband gives me, but I am trying. Believing in yourself, giving yourself compassion for what happened is important. Remember, you did not do this to yourself, he/she did this to you. You are not to blame. You are worthy.

He's creepy in all his films, that should have been the first red flag...

Healing to me means breaking free from any guilt shame or embarrassment that lingers after such trauma and experience. It means choosing yourself over allowing someone else to have sway over how you live your life and what kind of person you want to be.

#348

To all survivors out there,
I see you, I believe you, I hear you
You survived one of the worst things that can happen to a person.
Your experience is valid
Take care of yourself

Me, Survivor, City, State

At age seven, I told my mother I was being sexually abused by my paternal grandfather. In the middle of a contentious divorce, my mom believed me, but I was forced to tell the story over and over again to police officers, counselors, and attorneys. My dad, an up-and-coming attorney, who worked in the same county where my grandfather resided assisted him with his defense in court. I testified in court for an hour and a half and had to be in the same room with my grandfather. The verdict: not guilty.

Hope and Survivor

Hope and Survivor
Hope is one of the most powerful words out there! There are different meanings of the term HOPE. To understand the importance of Hope, you need to think of your past. The past can be a survivor of any kind, such as being sexually abused, abuse of alcohol, or abuse of legal/illegal drugs.

whatever happened, it's valid.

It took me forever to accept MY story, nobody else's story, MY story. And there's days when I still doubt myself, but that doesn't make it any less valid. You are valid and strong. Go through whatever you've gone through and to still rise...that is beautiful.

My Little

Healing is never linear. Healing is painful. Healing is necessary. Eventually you will go through it.

Survivor Spaces Community

#342

“You are not alone. It was not your fault. It is possible to heal. It is not too late.”
As a survivor of trauma and abuse, I am learning to cope with strategies – such as denial, self-blame, an unconscious reenactment of unresolved traumatic experiences, and normalizing sexual exploitation. When I was hurt being sexually traumatized by my father, secrecy, shame, and self-worth boundaries did not matter. No one could be trusted, and the world was not safe. Emotions from my childhood were complex and confusing. There was no single method or...

#344

Child-on-child sexual assault is valid and I want anyone who has gone through it to know that you are a survivor.

2 new updates

To open the door.

It's not your fault that you couldn't remember. At that time, you were doing your best to protect you. It's not your fault that you couldn't scream then. We did our best and we are still doing our best. We will be able to regain the happy image we saw in our dreams. In fact, we are beautiful and brave enough even now! I will be your witness to your beautiful challenge.

A message to all

Healing to me is self love and faith. You can’t pour from an empty cup so I think it’s important that we take Care of our body, mind and soul.

My name is Survivor.

I often times remind myself how far I’ve come since those days. My rapist threatened so much like my family, my career, my future, and my life. But today I stand tall in my truth. I have a great career, I’m safe, I’m healthy, I’m healing, I’m growing, I have a wonderful husband, family, and friends who love the survivor in me and love me for all I am. I now realize I’m not damaged but I do have a past I do have a story but that has all turned me into a stronger, braver person and most of all a survivor. I survived some of the worst days of my...

Unapologetically Surviving Community

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.

Survivor Spaces Community

21 should have been fun

We sat next to each other in class. We became friends immediately. But that’s typical your Freshman year of college. One day, these speakers came in to talk about sexual assault on campus. You had your headphones in and were watching a movie. I tapped on your arm and said it was important and you should pay attention. You told me you didn’t need to because it would never effect you. Would you still say that now? I hope it was a good movie. I hope it was so good that you couldn’t have possibly taken a second to learn about consent. I sometimes...

friend

please don't be afraid to process, mourn, and talk to people you trust. you are so loved and no one deserves to be taken advantage of, and I believe YOU.

#328

healing is learning that whats happened in the past cannot be changed, and understanding that although it's unfair, you cant change it

Escaping Inmate #

There is beauty in the battle. Your scars make you who you are. They do not define you.

stay strong - survive - WIN

if you continue to fight you can do anything

#325

I just learned what the term COCSA is. I’ve been in trauma therapy for a year and finally told my therapist, after 8 years of seeing her, what happened to me when I was a kid.
I was around 6 years old. One of my best friends, who was also a girl, told me that she wanted to play a game. Once she started doing what she was doing, I felt really confused and scared. She threatened to tell her mom that I was mean to her if I told anyone what was happening. This happened for years and she also introduced me to other things like pornography.

I am a COCSA survivor

It will get better if you trust that it will get better.

Safety Exit

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