Episode 14 - Learning from Others

'Trigger Warning' if you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse please remember the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 24-Hour Helpline 1800 77 8888

In today’s podcast (episode 14) ‘Learning from Others’ we will be discussing reading and writing as a tool to help you heal from childhood sexual abuse.  

Reading and writing for us, was an essential part of our healing journey.  We found that reading stories about others who had experienced abuse and managed to somehow overcome its many impacts, was reassuring and gave us hope that there was a way forward.

No one knows your story but you, however, unfortunately there are millions of other victims of abuse that have experienced similar pain and suffering. It is together that we are best able to support one another by sharing our stories and hopefully this helps you to know that you are not alone.

We found that both reading and writing provided us with a way to access memories and unexplained thoughts and behaviours that kept us locked in a cycle of self-hatred and mental anguish.  Reading gave us a level of comfort of knowing we were not mad or crazy and that our actions were a perfectly normal response to our abuse. Writing allowed us to examine the details of our past, where our thoughts came from and why we behaved the way we did in particular situations. It showed us just how innocent we were and gave us invaluable information on how we could change and let go of the rage and pain that we had held for so long.

One of our favourite quotes from the inspirational Maya Angelou is ‘When you get – give, when you learn-teach. These words mean so much to us and we hope that by sharing our experiences and what we found useful we can help others to see there is life after abuse after all.  

Please share and spread the word……

Take care

Joyce, June and Paula