[Hi]

Hi @NightJasmine

Welcome to AS! I'm sorry you are having a tough time. I hope being part of a supportive community will help a little bit. Have a look around and feel free to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. I wish you the best in your healing,

g

[NervousNewbie]

Hi @TeeJoe

welcome to AS! I’m sorry to hear about all of the trauma you’ve endured, you are a strong survivor and I hope you will find this place a safe community where you are supported and can feel less alone. I wish you all the best in your healing,

g

[Good Morning, Good Yawning]

Hi Alley,

welcome to AS! Thanks for telling us a bit about yourself, and I look forward to seeing you around the forums. I’m sorry for the trauma that brought you here, and you are right there is no expectation to ‘tell all’ take things at your own pace and share as you feel comfortable:)

 

[Hello]

8 hours ago, SilentAudacity said:

Hello! I am new here, seeking support/ to connect with others who may be at a similar place in their healing journey. I’ve experienced different forms of abuse, both by people I knew & a stranger. I was diagnosed with PTSD about 7 years ago, which now seems to be evolving into a deep depression. I am newly back in therapy, as Ive recently been struggling to feel supported by family, and have expressed frustrations through self harm. I want to work THRU these things but unfortunately my entire family shuts down as soon as the conversation gets heavy. I feel like I have no one to “fight it out” with me, to let me just get it all out, regardless of how it sounds, and to not be scared off. I thought maybe an online support group is what I need. Heres hoping! 

Hi and welcome to AS!

 I’m sorry you don’t have more support to talk and work things through, my family is similar in not going near anything heavy . I hope you’ll find this is a safe place to share, vent, discuss and be heard. 

[Hello]

Hello and welcome to AS,  @redmess!

I am sorry for what you and the other survivors have been through, I know it's tough to start healing 40 years later, I started around the same time. I wish you all the best in your healing and welcome you to share with us here for support and validation as you go through this process.

[Hello]

Hi Connor, welcome to AS!

im sorry for the horrible trauma your cousins put you through, I believe you and send you support. I hope you will find this community as supportive as I have, best wishes in your recovery,

g

[hello to everyone]

3 hours ago, blue_peach said:

Hello to everyone here!  I am a new member and I will ask you for your understanding because I don't have English as my mother tongue, so maybe some of my posts or words can be wrong.I am here because I am seeking to share my experience about sexual harrasment in workplace.. I want to find people to share my story and talk about their stories in this matter. This could be great help for me cause it is so difficult to feel ok. 

Hi and welcome to AS! 

I’m sorry to hear you are dealing with harassment and I hope you will find this a safe and welcoming place to talk about these issues. I wish you the best in your healing,

g

[Hi, I have a question, I'm New.]

Hi and welcome! 

[Hello everyone]

Hi and welcome!

 I’m glad your T suggested this community, and I hope you will feel less alone here, as I have. I am glad you got a second chance and I wish you all the best in healing,

g

[Hi and Thank you]

Hi @LRPINE,

Welcome to AS!

I had a similar experience when I first joined many years ago. It is amazing how much comfort a little hug emoji can offer, when we've been so alone with all this pain for so long. It is a very supportive community here and sometimes a little goes a long way. We all understand this experience called surviving and try to help each other when we can. Sometimes a sitter is all we need

Safe hugs to you if you want them

[I found this site]

9 minutes ago, Jsmoley said:

I found this, i suppose because i was assaulted.

I'm sorry for what you went through. It was not your fault, and you are not alone with this experience. I am glad you found our community, please take your time, go at your own pace here it's not easy to talk about but we are listening. Welcome.

[Hi]

Hi @stormyfire, welcome to AS!

I am sorry for what brings you here but glad you found our supportive community. It is difficult to feel alone and carrying an invisible weight, I hope you will feel less isolated here, that is one of the helpful things I found about being here.  It's ok to be shy, and there is no pressure to share anything unless you  want to. Sometimes taking your time feels safer and we want members to feel safe here.   Please take your time and have a look around the site and feel free to post as much or as little as you like. 

[New here, looking for community :)]

10 hours ago, NumbEveryday said:

Hi peoples,I was looking for resources with my friend and stumbled across After Silence. I won’t go into details but on June 30th,2019, I was R by a stranger. I am having a very difficult time coping and finding people who understand what I’m going through. I really would like to hear others stories and really find a community to where I can get support. Look forward to getting to know all of you ^_^ 

Hi, and welcome to AS! I am sorry about your trauma and I hope that you can find some solace here among people who understand what you are going through.

[Hello everyone]

Hi @Aliss,

Welcome to AS! I am glad you found our community. I understand how hard it is to talk to people in real life about things like what happened to us, and I also minimized what I went through but have learned that we each have our own experience of trauma that deserves support and validation and not comparison. I found being here for a while has helped me to talk about it more easily in my life now - what I find these days ironically is that others often can't hear it, even when I'm ok to talk about it.  But here you can express anything you need to and it's a safe and nonjudgmental place.

[Noob]

Hi @Deadbolts, welcome to AS!

I am truly sorry you were hurt as a child, remembering can be painful but also healing. You are not alone with the 'denial' part, it's often how we survived. I wish you the best in healing,

 

[News]

Hi @emergingawareness,

Welcome to AS! I am sorry for the trauma that led you here, and I'm sure the Epstein case is triggering for so many survivors right now. You are not alone, and have reached a safe place. I agree with you that self care is important! I remember a few years ago when a news story triggered me and I kept hearing it everywhere. I have done EMDR as well and I know how intense it can be, but I hope it helps you, I did find it helpful after the intensity wore off. I hope you will feel free to take your time and have a look around the forums here, and share as much or as little as you like, we are here to listen.  I wish you the best in your path to healing,

g

[Another newbie]

12 hours ago, DiiO said:

Hi all. It’s my first day. I look forward to learning how to use this site. I am here for support and to be supportive.  

Hi and Welcome to AS! I am glad you found our supportive community. I wish you the best in your healing path,

g

[Hey everyone]

HI @cal

Welcome to AS! I am sorry for what happened to you and I know what it's like to struggle to talk to people about it. It is sometimes easier to talk in an anonymous place with others who have been through something similar and gets it. I hope that you will find the support you are seeking here in our community. It's definitely helped me with feeling isolated and I hope it does the same for you. I look forward to seeing you around the forums, take care

g

[Hello and Introduction]

4 hours ago, Hope49 said:

Hello, everyone: 

I'm a 48-year-old communications professional. I found After Silence while searching for support groups online. I'm looking to connect with others impacted by sexual assault. I keep myself isolated except for going to work full-time. I do not feel friends and family understand what I am going through. It's been about 10 months since the incident. I am hoping to connect with others to feel less isolated and deal with the aftermath of what happened. Some days I feel totally healed, other days, I feel hopeless. 

Hi Hope49,

I am sorry for what happened to you 10 months ago, and I am glad you found our site. Many of us can relate to feeling isolated and that people close to us don' t really get it. It can take a long time to heal and more than just time is needed, support and validation can help too. I hope that you can find the support you need here and wish you all the best in your continued healing,

g

[Re-Intro (got carried away last time)]

Hi Unl0v3d,

welcome to AS! I am sorry for the trauma that brought you here. I am sure you will find others here who relate to what you've been through, and it is a supportive community. I also find I have a dark sense of humour sometimes and it does tend to be a stress reliever

 

[Hello, I'm abby, and I'm newish.]

Hi Abby,

Welcome back to AS I hope you find the support you need here.

I`m also back  in school after many years , doing a masters in psychology   good luck with your studies and feel free to reach out here any time!

 

[I think I'm back, hello!]

Welcome back!!  I hope your needed break was helpful and I hope you’re not struggling too much now either, but it’s good to see you again   

[New friends]

Hi and welcome to AS!

You deserve to be heard and validated and supported. I hope you will find that here in this community.

[Hello Community]

2 hours ago, NotTheSame907 said:

Hi there! I'm new to this forum. I have been reading through some of the threads and have already identified with many post. I am seeking a community that can help me understand the healing process, but also just to find some people who have been through similar circumstances. I'm looking forward to meeting and chatting with you all!

Hi and welcome to AS

I'm glad you are finding your way around the site already, although sorry for what brought you here. I hope you will find many here can relate to your journey as well, all the best,

g

[Still feeling it after 9 years]

4 hours ago, Mel Y said:

Hello,

Thank you for accepting me into this community.  I have gone to therapy before to discuss this but it didn’t get to the heart of the matter. I was provided with tools to cope and adjust my thinking which only went so far. I feel like I need a community to help me really understand why I still feel the way I do after all this time out of my toxic relationship. 

I appreciate any support and suggestions on moving forward.

Warmly,

Mel

Hi Mel Y, welcome to AS!  I hope you will find that a supportive community will help you get to a deeper understanding of things. I am glad you had some T but it sounds like their approach was more of a surface one, which can help with coping for sure but maybe didn't quite get to the roots of how you are feeling. It is not uncommon to still be sorting things out years later, I know I still am. I hope you will less alone with things here. 

g