To escape the terror of abuse many of us would dissociate by dreaming of future possibilities. We would construct magnificent imaginary glass castles. This exercise could transcend into relationships, jobs, and school. We would build entire villages of glass castles …
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Our Lives Our Stories is a global anthology of abuse survivors’ stories and recovery tools. You are invited to join a global movement of individuals who are sharing their stories of survival and the tools they’ve used to overcome personal struggles to live …
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Throughout our lives we all face physical limitations. Many survivors suffer from adrenal fatigue, chronic pain, PTSD, and other ailments. It is easy to become ensnared in self-pity and comparing our abilities to the abilities and health of others when …
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Feelings of being broken and dirty, due to abuse, both lend themselves to a desire to hide away in isolation. Survivors can feel as if other people are able to tell what has happened to them by the way they …
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Have you struggled to find the “right way,” or the strength, to say, “No?” Trying to regulate the reactions and emotions of others is a common trait for those who have survived trauma and abuse. We were taught that we …
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Much of our sense of personal beauty can be knotted up in the views of others in our lives, and the beauty myths, comparisons, and marketing in the media. We have been manipulated by both to hand over our power, …
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We were accustomed to living life on-guard; sentries to our bodies, minds, and spirits. Not knowing when the next abusive episode would come has robbed us of the ability to feel secure when the threat is absent. Most of us …
Read more →A piece on the personal archeology of victim blaming and the exclusion of survivors as actors in social change and healing. She sat at her desk, Me, staring at the curtain patterns behind her head, Wide eyed and eager to …
Read more →Have you ever struggled to find the “right words” or the strength to say No? You are not alone. Trying to regulate the reactions and emotions of others is a common trait for those who have survived trauma and abuse. …
Read more →A reader writes in sharing her experience of struggling to find her voice after leaving an abusive relationship. Despite being in a caring environment now, she still feels as if she is unable to restore herself to her former sense …
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