MeBeMary

Hi Bridget. Welcome to AfterSilence. I am very sorry for the trauma you've endured and the struggles that still remain. It is very unfair and undeserved to be hurt, as you have. You have found a very supportive community with many understanding and kind members. You are not alone. Feel free to look around the site. You may read, reply or post at your own pace. We are here for you. Wishing you many steps forward on this path we call healing. Mary

Hi Ziggy and welcome. I am very sorry for what you've endured as a child and the struggles you are currently facing. It was unfair and undeserved. I am sorry you were betrayed by those family members you should have been able to trust. You have found a very supportive community, tho, with many understanding and kind members. You are not alone. You might want to check out our Therapy Discussion for for more treatment ideas. There is at least one informative one on EMDR and I'm sure more that members have discussed. Gathering information is always a good step to start with. I am

Hi AP361, Welcome to AfterSilence. I am very sorry for the trauma you've experienced and the struggles you still face. You are not alone. This community is filled with understanding and supportive members...as you likely have started to see as you've been reading. That feeling of not being alone is priceless. I am very glad you decided to reach out. I know that can be difficult in itself, but it is a courageous step forward. I wish you many more steps forward as you continue down this healing path. Mary

Hi BrooklinBetti and welcome to the community! I am very sorry for what you experienced and the struggles that are a result of that. You have found a supportive place with many understanding and kind people. You are not alone. Googling has helped many find us. It is how I started, altho I found RAINN first, but they are not an online support community such as this. I was tentative at first, but the members truly made me feel like I belonged. It was such a turning point for me, and I hope you find it somewhat of a turning point for you, as well. I encourage you to look around,

Hi Becky and welcome. I am very sorry for the reasons why you are here, but happy you were encouraged to reach out and found the courage to do so. It's not always easy to do so. There is only support and kindness here. I hope in time you will feel less alone. Take your time and look around. I wish you the best on this continuing journey we call healing. Mary

Hi Res and welcome. I am very sorry you have reasons to be here, but so glad you decided to reach out. You have found a very supportive community with many understanding and kind members. You are not alone. It's definitely ok to just read for a while. It's exactly how I started a few years ago. It can sometimes take a while to find comfortable footing...and reading can be that great way to start. So, take all the time you need...but know, we are here for you, when you are ready. I wish you the best as you move forward on this path we call healing. Mary B

Hi LadyButterly. Welcome back to the community. This is the same supportive place you likely knew when you last were on the site. I am glad you remember us and decided to return. Feel free to look around and get re-used to it here. You will find understanding and kindness at every turn. I wish you many more steps on this continuing journey we call healing! Mary ...back!

Hi Desert Wave. Welcome to AfterSilence. I am very sorry for what happened to you last fall. It was unfair and undeserved. You have found a supportive place and among many understanding and diverse group of individuals. We are here for you. You will find many of us who have memory issues, some due to being drugged, as well as other reasons. It really is a catch 22, as recalling such trauma can be difficult, but so can not knowing. The unknown can be a very scare place. It takes courage to reach out, if be for therapy or an online community such as ours. It can be difficult to f

Welcome Jayo. I am very sorry you have reasons to be here but happy you decided to reach out. This is a very supportive community with many understanding and kind members. You are not alone. Wishing you the best as you move forward on this path we call healing. Mary

Hi RisingSun7. Welcome to After Silence. I am very sorry that you have reasons to be here, but glad that you have found us. This community is filled with so many supportive, understanding and kind people. You are not alone. Trauma can indeed change your outlook on life and even how you see others...and yourself. There is a huge toll we pay for the awful choices of others. It isn't fair, but it is up to us to face the struggles they have caused and try to move forward on the healing path. We deserve better and we support and encourage each other to do just that. Move forward. Fe

Hi kannheals, Welcome to AfterSilence. I am very sorry for the trauma you have endured. It was not fair or deserved. You have found a very supportive site with many understanding and kind people. You are not alone. I know how it can be, holding on the pain and struggles for far too long. When I found this community, I was just passed 3 decades. No matter how you try to ignore it or blame the struggles on other things, the real reason was there...just under the surface. It may take each of us a different time frame to finally come and face our abuse, but I do believe that facing it.

Hi juju and welcome. I am very sorry you have need to be here, but glad you decided to reach out. The abuse you endured was undeserved and unfair. You have found a very supportive site with many understanding members. You are not alone. It takes courage to face the struggles associated with the memories of what happened to you. The path of healing can be difficult, but it is worth it...you are worth it. Feel free to look around and interact where you feel comfortable. We are here for you. Wishing you the best as you continue down the path of healing. Mary

Hi Brokenmind and welcome. I am very sorry for the trauma you've endured and the struggles you face. What happened to you was wrong and undeserved. I'm sorry someone you trusted, betrayed you. You have found a supportive community with many understanding members. You are not alone. I wish you well as you continue to navigate this path we call healing. Mary

Hi Tahnya and welcome to the community. I am very sorry for all the abuse you endured by your father. It was unfair, unkind, and undeserved. A child should always feel safe, especially with their parents. You have found a very supportive community with many understanding and kind members. I am sure (sadly) you will find many that can relate. As for the secret-keeping...it is not a surprise that it can still be difficult to let go of. We learn from our parents and other adults, but when they teach you the wrong things...it is very hard to unlearn. Shame on him for manipulating a stil

Hi Vargr and welcome. I am so sorry for the trauma you've endured as a child. It was not right or fair. You have found a supportive community with many understanding and kind members. I do believe one needs to be ready to gain support and I am glad you find that now is the time for you. It's never easy to reach out...here or to a therapist, but it can be worthwhile steps to move your forward. Feel free to look around and interact where you are comfortable. We are here for you. Also, as a side note, if you remember any of your former user information, feel free to contact a sit

Hi Gracie and welcome. I am very sorry you have reasons to be here but glad that your T encouraged you to reach out. This community is filled with so many supportive and understanding members. You will not be told you aren't believed. We validate your trauma, both in what happened and the struggles you have faced. As others have said, it's ok to take your time. Feel free to look around and find a comfortable footing here. The only pace required is your own. When you are ready tho, we will be here for you, you can count on it! I wish you many forward steps on this path of healing.

Hi whoopeewee. Welcome to AfterSilence. I am very sorry for the trauma you've endured and the struggles you have faced. It is unfair and undeserved. I can imagine the heartbreak, as well, when your parents did not believe or support you. Parents are the people you should count on the most and I am sorry you did not have that. You will find support and understanding here, with our many kind community members. You are not alone. I commend you for reaching out and not allowing others to determine if you deserve to heal and there is something to heal from. We are here for you. Feel

He Gerardo and welcome. I am very sorry for what happened to you in your first year of college...a time that is suppose to be exciting and new and filled with independence and wonderful expectations. It was very wrong for anyone to hurt you so. You did nothing wrong, as this is never deserved. Acknowledging what happened is a big step. Believe me, many of us try to ignore or deny it, even when those struggles persist. Joining us is also a big step, as there are many here who can relate. You will find support and understanding and hopefully not feel so alone. Feel free to look

Hi SadAtHeart and welcome. I am so sorry for all you've been thru...the trauma you've endured, all the secrets you were forced to keep, and the struggles you still face. What happened to you was wrong and undeserved and I am sorry that you were sacrificed for the "betterment" of the family. It seems someone (or many someones) forgot YOU were a part of this family and YOU were not ok. How could you be? I've held on to my secrets for the sake of the family, too...but in a different sense, so I won't pretend that I know exactly what you feel, but do know the struggles and the pain of no

Hi Healing Trauma and welcome. Welcome to AfterSilence. I am sorry you have reasons to be here, but you will find that the members here are very kind and understanding. You are not alone. How this works? It is as easy as to read, post or interact in a timetable that suits you. You can share as much or as little that you find comfortable. Sometimes members find it a little scary to start, and that is ok, too. It sometimes takes time to trust a new place and new interactions. We do strive to keep this a safe and healthy place, tho. You will eventually see that this place is judgement-

Hi Ieva. Welcome to AfterSilence. I am very sorry for the trauma you've endured and the struggles you still face. It was never fair or deserved. You have found a very supportive community, tho, and soon you won't feel so alone with it. I can relate to not being able to tell family. It sometimes will cause more problems than help. Everyone is different and sharing what happen and with who is a very difficult and personal decision. You are taking steps tho, which is the most important thing. It is something you should be proud of yourself for! Please don't fret on English not bein

Hi wrenn. I hear you, I understand you and I know how difficult it can be. It's not easy to connect and even the small things that seem like they could...we tend to second guess. So, I will not pretend to be some kind of expert here...because I am not. It can feel very isolating an alone. As hard as it is and as much as one can second-guess...the people here are typically kind and many actually feel the same way we do. You would be surprised at how many do. So, I am glad you did take the chance here with this community. It's a matter of finding your footing here, then you are a littl