Melissa Bunting

Fear commonly commands sexual assault victims to freeze in silence. Fortunately, since Me Too has been in play, more people have found solace in coming forward, hoping to feel some freedom in their trapped, terrorized minds. The silence is deafening to the soul when you suffer alone with sexual abuse, but there is hope with the current surge dialed in on mental health.  

Rainn, over the last 27 years, has helped 3.7 million survivors and their loved ones. Rainn offers an Online chat and a Telephone hotline: 800-656-4673 as some of their resources. Innocent Lives Foundation (ILF) works with multiple law enforcement to help bring predators to justice.  

ILF also makes it a priority to educate survivor’s loved ones on how to communicate efficiently.  

Triggers can come out of nowhere years later. Studies have pointed out that sometimes traumatic events do not entirely arise until midlife. 

Not feeling like you have a means or connection to traditional therapy; finding an outlet can stifle healing. However, some unique utilities online might help clarify the clutter of coping with the mental chaos. 

Given that triggers are not timed, paying attention to pre-warnings from a TV, movie, etc., you may be about to watch or listen to. Sometimes, even a strong soul signal can help you identify intuitional guidance if said activity is worth chancing an emotional eruption for. 

When trauma happens, the body can sense it; therefore, nightmares, flashbacks, and feelings stay on a continuous loop. EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) comes into play; by breaking up and retraining your brain to process the violation you had no control over, your body will relearn how to feel restored to recover.  

Bottling up emotions can be a learned behavior from caregivers in younger years, and as you get older, the grooming to keep even the most horrific thoughts silent tends to get hung up in hiatus.  

Suppose you happen to be someone with unsupportive or absent caregivers. Remembering you always have yourself in times of need is essential to adapting to how you may view the world now. Remind yourself that, ultimately, no one and nothing has the power to determine your self-worth, and you are not weak.  

There is no finish line regarding recovery; each person’s journey is theirs. You own your narrative and know what is best for yourself, but knowing there are resources from hotlines, chat lines, and therapists you can Zoom with will hopefully yield peace. 

Self-love can soothe the soul; that’s something no one can ever take away from you.