Thank you so much, and I would love to talk if you are available! I feel like holding real tight to the positive things in my life have helped me a lot.

Thank you for your kind message Heather, it really helps!

I have told my therapist about him moving back so close and we are working on it, the hard part (about any therapy actually) is that it takes time and maybe i'm just too impatient. I honestly can't think of anyone in my life that I would want to tell how tough it is to connect with people because I ...

Dear Mo, Thank you for replying, I actually have tried thinking of what I would do if I were to run into him but I really can't think of anything that makes sense enough to me to keep me "safe" enough to go walking around the neighborhood. I just feel like since that whole side of my famil...

Dear Sam, I'm glad thats is something good, I have always thought that I haven't really made a lot of progress but I am glad to hear something good. I also wanted to say that because of the pandemic, he and his mother have come back to live with our grandmother who live literally less than 5 minutes...

Dear Sam, I actually reached for a pen and paper when I remembered my rape because I didn't want to forget any of the details and it definitely seemed easier for me to communicate to her that way. When it comes to my body and also managing my anger and sadness towards my family I tend to just think ...

Dear Sam, Thank you for your encouraging words, they help a lot! To be honest, I don't really know how to channel that energy into anything other than anger. I would love to try and think of ways to bring up the ways I feel about myself to my therapist because I feel like they'd seem ridiculous if I...

Dear Sam, When talking about what has happened to me I definitely introduce it into the conversation, wether to make a deprecating joke (which I know isn't good) or to just talk about what has happened to me in life. The funny thing is that every person I have told outside my family who know him com...

Dear Sam, I am lucky to have a good therapist who I finally feel comfortable talking to after seeing so many. I see her twice a week and have learned a lot of the standard coping mechanisms. The one that seems to help me the most is mindfulness and a kind of escapism of taking yourself somewhere saf...

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the very kind and understanding message. It would be the most helpful for me to try and deal with the guilt and shame that comes with rape because at least thats something I can actively try and fix/understand, rather than my physical health which I honestly can't do much about.

I am new to this website and was directed here by my therapist so I thought I'd introduce others to my situation and ask for advice/help on returning back to my normal life. I was raped and physically and verbally abused by a male cousin of mine who is two years older for about 12 years. I knew abo...