healing after trauma can feel like you’re clawing out of a deep, dark tunnel.
Survivors
Surviving trauma from sexual or domestic violence is hard. It doesn’t come with a handbook of how to react, where to get help, or how to deal with the very big emotions that with this very specific kind of hurt. Here, you’ll find tips on how to show love and care for your body, steps for navigating procedures like SANE exams, and some explanations for why trauma responses make you act in certain ways. You can also find online communities of people that are going through similar things. I’m glad you’re here, and I hope you are able to find something that takes some of the hurt away, even for a little bit.
Community
As easy as it is to label all perpetrators as “monsters” who would have committed this act regardless of their surroundings, that’s just not true. They are not isolated individuals that are lurking in the shadows; the majority of survivors of sexual assault personally know the person that hurt them. We, as a community and a society, need to find ways to prevent this kind of harm and build a safer culture. I am not going to pretend to have all the answers (I’m just one person), but this section aims to start that conversation.
Support networks
Watching someone you love go through the pain, fear, and confusion following sexual or domestic violence is incredibly difficult. Just like they don’t have a how-to guide for healing, you don’t have one on how to support them. Every survivor is different, so they will each react differently. This section is made to give you a basis and point you in the right direction, and also give you some advice on how to deal with the (very real) vicarious trauma you may experience.
Resources
I am far from the first person to create a site like this. Organizations like RAINN, MeTooMovement, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and many others have different takes, exercises, and ways of explaining complicated concepts. I have linked those (and more!) in this section so that you can have as much information as you need.
