nordic.panda

@Hidden1 Are direct messages a thing on this website? What you describe in that post feels a lot like what I'm going through right now, which is a big part of the reason I sought out a community like this. Would it be okay if I messaged you directly? I just don't want to hijack a thread by turning it into a conversation between two people.

@Hidden1 Thanks for the kind words. I'm still not familiar with this site so I wasn't able to find your post using the search function. Do you have a link to "Is how I feel ok?" because I'd really like to read it

Hey everyone, I'm new here and I feel kind of guilty about posting because all of the literature and resources I've seen since my assault use the word survivor to describe victims of sexual assault/abuse. Even though my therapist and the handful of people I've opened up to about what happened assure me that what happened was a clear case of sexual assault, my life was never in danger during the encounter. Because of this, it took me a really long time to accept help or make use of resources available because I wasn't a "survivor" and it felt to me like I was taking away resources from people w

Hi Strawberry86, I don't want to be so presumptuous as to say that I know the feeling but I think I might. It's hard telling people what happened or even that there's even an event that "happened" that needs addressing. I'm new here myself but I feel confident that it's a safe place where you can share what you need to in order to heal without fear of judgment or any negative reactions and I hope that you find this is the place you need to find comfort.

I'm so sorry for how you've been feeling for 40+ years. Yesterday was my third appointment with my therapist and we finally addressed the issue of shame, which seems to be the core of what's hurting me. I can't imagine what it's been like for someone who's been dealing with something like that for such a long time. I wish you all the best and I hope you find support and strength in this community