07/04/2024
we know. you’re not alone.
the frameworks of + clinically validate the power of sharing our stories with each other. whether you reach out to an org like ours, share your own blog, write in a burn-journal, call a friend, or anonymously post on a survivor-centered platform, expression is how we overcome oppression, suppression and depression.
SA is rarely about s*x. it’s about power + control, and ongoing abuse and grooming usually begins with isolation. Harvard Psychologist Judith Herman has been teaching the critical importance of community + self-empowerment after abuse for decades. if you’re feeling alone or helpless, please know it’s an appropriate response to having your body, privacy, or agency violated. it’s by design, but you don’t have to live there. there are ways out.
block the trolls. clear out your friends list. go outside if you’re able. most urgently, let it out. any guilt, shame, fear or regret after abuse is not yours to carry. if strangers choose to re-write your story, let them. the internet is a fantasy hellscape where bad bad people mistake exploitation for power, choose ego over ethics, and perpetuate the same cycles of abuse we’ve all been fighting in real life for decades.
we know this US “holiday” is extra infuriating this year. do one thing today that’s just for you. seek out grounding tools to stay centered in YOUR reality, not the internet, not the news right now. it’s a matter of survival.
we know. you’re not alone.
