The twinkling lights and smell of pine. Soft scarves and warm food. Music and laughter. The hustle and bustle of the holidays can be fun and exciting. Sometimes though the holiday season can present overwhelming emotions and triggering moments. Holidays and family get-togethers can be trying for anyone, but for survivors of child sexual abuse […]
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Guest blog post written by Parivash Goff Writing a Future Vision Statement lingered in the back of Valentina’s mind. She wanted to try it, but each time she sat down to do it, emotions bubbled up. Excitement. Anxiety. Hope. Nervousness. She had an idea of what she wanted her future to look like, but it […]
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The #MeToo movement in 2017 generated a worldwide discussion around the experiences of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse in our society. During the first 24 hours alone, nearly 500,000 people tweeted that they, in some form, had been the victims of sexual violence […]
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On your healing journey, you may come across people who react to your experiences in inappropriate or even hurtful ways. These reactions, whether intentional or not, might make you feel self-conscious, embarrassed, or discouraged. They might make you feel judged or criticized. A painful reaction when you disclose your abuse may lead to a setback […]
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Over the past few years, I’ve had the great pleasure to teach and discuss various topics with trauma survivors—shame, forgiveness, sexuality, etc. After discussing different communication styles, rights, and methods in an assertive communication class, a woman in her fifties shared, “Jessica, I keep hearing this word boundaries, and have all my life, but I […]
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Your body houses some of the most remarkable machinery found on our planet. Supported by over 650 muscles throughout your body, you can jump, run, read, walk, eat, react to danger, and move to the beat of your favorite song. Muscles work by receiving signals from your brain. In return, your muscles send signals back […]
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I am crazy about pets. It’s likely that any person who has known me for more than five minutes could recite that fact about me. So, as an employee of The Younique Foundation, I was ecstatic when I was asked if I would write a blog post about the healing benefits of animals. As my […]
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Casey hates the phrase, “Humans are social creatures.” Most humans, she thinks, haven’t been through what she’s been through. They weren’t sexually abused at a young age by the one person they should’ve trusted the most. They didn’t confide in a close friend, years later, only to have that friend refuse to believe them and […]
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Like birds of a feather flock together, humans were made to connect with each other. Those we connect with become our tribe: we feel safe, understood, and accepted. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, however, their experience with a tribe felt anything but safe and connecting. The mere thought of connecting with others can […]
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When people think of trauma, they often associate it with the disorders and the difficulties that can occur as a result. Relatively few people, however, have heard about post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic growth (or adversarial growth) has been documented in all kinds of trauma survivors, from those who’ve survived plane crashes to leukemia to child sexual […]
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Jane never yells. She doesn’t ever “make a scene.” She doesn’t explode with rage or break dishes on the kitchen floor. Mostly, she’s quiet. If anyone asks Jane how she’s doing, the answer is always “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” She does snap at people occasionally, even over small things. Especially over small things. In fact, […]
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