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Hi @KindaConfused, welcome to our AS community I remember being confused for a long time about what happened to me too. If you feel like it was abuse, chances are there is a good reason for that or you wouldn't be questioning it. If what happened was unwanted, coerced or forced on you, then it was abuse. Sometimes we find ourselves in confusing situations due to grooming and manipulation, where we may think we 'went along' with something but actually it was a predatory situation. There is a thread about the definition of consent, that is pinned to one of the forums and I found

Hi Anewme, and welcome to AS! I am glad you found our community. I know it can be daunting to be here, you are really brave for making this first post. I was a very scared momma too a few years ago, in a similar place to you, with a lot of old stuff bubbling up. I know you can be the parent your kids need, and getting support for yourself is an important step, it's part of good self care every mom needs to do. When things surface it can feel overwhelming at first but it can get better. This is a safe place where you will be heard and believed and not judged. I am so angry with

Hello Bam, and welcome to AS! I am glad you found this community, it is a very supportive place. I'm a Mom too, and a big part of wanting to heal has been because I want to be more present for my kids. I am sorry you also went through ppd as well as the original trauma/s.

Hi @NssAngel9, and welcome to our AS community. I'm sorry for the trauma that led you to us, but glad you found our site. It is a supportive place to find a sounding board, with validation and support. You are not alone in seeking rational organizing to help you cope! I think many of us need ways to find a sense of control, to counteract the feelings of loss of control/power that trauma often causes. I am glad that reading some posts here has helped you feel peace and belonging. I wish you the best as you find your way around here and continue in your healing, g

Hello @profeadg, welcome to AS, and happy birthday too! My story happened 25-30 years ago as well, and Patricia is right, it's never too late to start healing and get support. I wish you all the best in your healing, and I'm sorry for the trauma that is revisiting you.

Hi @Mom4life17, Welcome to AS! I am sorry for what brings you here. I'm also a mom of two. I don't know much about the court system either but I support you and understand how stressful an upcoming court date must be, not knowing what to expect. I hope you find some more knowledgeable advice but know that we are also here to support you emotionally if you need us.

Hi @Striver, Welcome to AS, I'm sorry for the trauma you endured. This is a welcoming community where we all support each other as best we can regardless of gender. Our experiences and feelings about what happened to us tend to be similar even though our stories are different. Many of us - both female and male survivors, have been abused by women as well as men, so we get it and we know that anyone can be an abuser and anyone can be assaulted. It's true there are more women here but the guys here are wonderful people and I hope you meet some of them soon. I'm glad you have a therapist

Hello @Heart Welcome to the AS community. Many of us understand how difficult it can be to talk about or even think about the traumas that have happened. It can help to be in a safe place with others who get it and although our stories are all different a lot of our experiences and feelings are similar. I am glad you have a loving family now, but I understand how it is to still feel lonely because of having difficult memories to grapple with. I wish you all the best in your healing, g

Hi @caligirl99 I just want to add my voice to the welcoming! I am sorry that you are being met with disbelief. That in itself can feel like another trauma on top of what you went through. Rest assured that here you will be believed and supported! take care g

Hi Molly, welcome to AS! I am glad that you found our supportive community. I hope that sharing your story will help you to heal. As Cap explained, you can access the Share My Story forum after 10 posts. But do have a look around, take your time, and feel free to ask for support with whatever you are going through now. Wishing you the best in your healing, g

Hi @LottieAngelHeart Welcome to the AS community! I am sure you will find support, and validation here. I am glad that your wife and friends are supportive it makes a big difference, and it's also good to be able to share with others who get it and have been through trauma too.

Hi @Donna84, Welcome to AS, although I'm sorry about the trauma that brought you here. As others have said, it's a supportive place. This is a big question, and I can understand why it's so difficult to express this to your partner if this is the first time you've been in a healthy relationship. I want to remind you that what happened to you was not your fault, you were not to blame, and 'reporting' is an incredibly difficult thing to do at any age, and does not necessarily make things better. We do what we do to survive, our brains try to protect us. I would suggest that y

Hello @Onefineday, Welcome to the After Silence community It's a supportive place where I hope you will feel safe. I'm sorry for the trauma that led you to us. Many of us here can relate to feeling we've been holding a secret for a long time. Please feel free to have a look around, take your time, take care of yourself here too - it can be triggering especially in the beginning, and share as much or as little as you like. I wish you the best in your healing and recovering your sense of self. What happened doesn't define you and it's also nothing to be ashamed of.

Hi ItsMeV, Welcome to AS! I found 13 reasons why triggering as well. Many here can relate to dealing with suppressed memories years later, I think you will find lots of supportive and validating survivors here to talk to!

Hi @Kallihope1, Welcome to AS! I hope that you find this a supportive community to be heard and understood.

Hi @ASnow Welcome to AS. I’m sorry for what brings you here but you’ve found a supportive place. I think many here can relate to your questions about memory and dissociation, you are not alone with these experiences. I would encourage you to have a look around the site as there are a few threads going about recovering memories and dissociation that might offer some insights. I wish you the best in your healing.

Welcome to AS @Mirden I am glad your husband is supportive, mine is too and it makes things easier but it’s also good to have other survivors to talk to I find. I hope you can find your way around here and feel supported in your healing.

Welcome to AS ! It can definitely be scary to do the work, you are not alone here

Hi @Sky1992, Welcome to AS, I am sorry you are struggling with sleep and I don't think you are going crazy, these are symptoms that often follow an assault like you've recently endured. You are not alone here, it is a supportive community. I wish you the best as you recover from this trauma.

Hi @Hazel, Welcome to AS, although I'm sorry for the reasons you are here. I hope you will find it a supportive and validating place to be, and I wish you well in your healing.

Hi Autumngrace, I'm glad your therapist told you about this place, it can be very helpful to be able to talk to and hear from others who really can relate to what you've been through. It can be so isolating to struggle with this pain alone. You have found a supportive place here, and I wish you the best in your healing.

Hello @whitman, and welcome to AS, although I'm sorry for what brought you here. I had also been through a lot by 17, and I'm sorry that you have gone through so much so young. I think feeling lost is something a lot of us can relate to, and I hope that this place can help you make some connections and start to find your way through it all. It's a supportive place where you can be heard and validated by people who understand what it's like. You are already making a good start, I didn't start dealing with stuff until I was much older. Take things at your own pace and be good to yourself, you

Hello and welcome to our AS community. Feel free to look around the boards and share as much or as little as you like. This is a supportive place and although we all have different experiences the impacts of the abuse tend to have a lot of commonalities so I'm sure you will find people you can relate to here.

Hi Jessica, Welcome to AS! It is a big deal to start to reach out , so congratulations for taking that brave step! I hope you will find us a supportive community where you will be heard and validated. I think many can understand the feelings you have. It's wonderful that you are pursuing becoming a counselor, and personally I don't think you should worry about being 'fully healed' I think being 'in process' is more than good enough! Are any of them fully healed? probably not! You might want to check out the 'Therapy' section here for lots of interesting discussions about what we

Hi Fearless, welcome to AS! I hope you find this a place where you can be heard and supported when you need it.