spocknado

hello and welcome! most of us have trouble talking about our experiences. i've never been able to talk about mine out loud. it happened almost five years ago and only three people know -- one is a therapist and one is an anonymous RAINN counselor. so, i consider you very brave. i hope you do, too. i went to a liberal arts college in new england for two years and loved it so much! i studied psychology and environmental science. i ended up going through a pretty awful disability discrimination situation and was kinda chased out of the school, so now i'm halfway across the country studying animal

at least a few people will be able to personally relate to your story, if not more, and those who can't will lend a sympathetic ear. we're all here to give and get help from each other. i haven't seen any judging or any rudeness at all in my time here -- which has only been two weeks, but still. that's a lot for an internet forum. i think and hope you'll find what you're looking for here

hi sarah! welcome and congratulations on your progress.

welcome! sorry about the things that brought you here. positive outlets are great, and even better when they're creative, too! i think i can relate with you on some fronts. i've been struggling with an aversion to touching/being touched. i've been pouring myself into sewing things for my cats, like beds and pillows and toys and such. not sure if it's really helped much, but it at least keeps me busy outside of work. anyway, i hope you find what you're looking for here

you never deserved my respect

i currently work at a dog daycare & boarding kennel, but it is mostly for the "normal" dogs — mentally and physically well, sociable and friendly, etc. i like it but it doesn't give me the satisfaction of helping the animals truly in need. i don't know if i will reach my dream (school is very mentally draining for me and a whole lot of $$$$$) but i think i will be satisfied if i find myself in a position like yours. it sounds to me that you have changed the lives of many needy dogs for the better (and still are!) and that is still very much worth a lot, even if it seems short of your inten

this reads like beautiful poetry. more importantly, i applaud your willingness to take back control your life. you will rise above what you have lived through because you are already stronger, wiser, and more powerful!

thank you for your kind words, mary

hello! i'm also new here. i think a lot of survivors put off thinking about what happened — i sure did. completely internalized and suppressed it for five years, in fact. but since coming around to face facts, i've found emotional outlets through blogging and especially art, like you it seems. i was actually lucky enough to discover a really great art-based therapy group for SA survivors that i'm very excited about! group therapy isn't good for everybody, but i've been surprised to find it very helpful for me, despite having social anxiety. glad you found your way to this site! jami

hey there, my name is jami. i'm already not really sure what to say. um, i'm 21 and a survivor of almost 5 years, though i guess i wasn't consciously aware of it until fairly recently—like the last six months or so. i was at a really great private college where i had a really great group of friends as a support system, but it all fell apart during sophomore year when i had some sort of nervous breakdown related to mental illness, took a medical leave of absence, and eventually withdrew altogether. i picked myself up (for the most part) and now i'm about a thousand miles away, studying a new ma