Safe Ways to Share Your Story
One of the best ways to heal is through sharing your story, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Keeping everything bottled up inside can be an isolating and lonely experience that no survivor should have to live through. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, and you don’t have to handle the memories or the aftermath by yourself.
After experiencing sexual violence, you might want share your story, but it can be hard to figure out how or where to do so and how to tell who is safe and who you can trust. Thankfully, there are many ways for you to safely share your story, and some of them are right here on this website. If you find yourself struggling to figure out how you can share your experience, here are some suggestions for you:
Tell a Trusted Friend or Adult
Having a confidante, someone that you can trust to hear and respect your story, can be a great way to take some weight off of your shoulders. This can be your friend, parent, teacher, clergy person, significant other, or anyone else in your life who you trust. Sharing your story can be a vulnerable moment, and having the reassurance that your story is safe with them can be a huge relief.
Tell a Counselor or Therapist
Counselors and therapists are there to support you and listen to you without judgment. They are bound to confidentiality, meaning that they cannot share anything that you tell them unless you are a clear and present danger to yourself or others. These licensed professionals are trained to work with people who have experienced trauma and to help them process their experiences. If you want to learn more about the types of help you can get and how to find a mental health professional click here.
Contribute to the Survivors to Superheroes Literary Journal, Songs of Survival
Survivors to Superheroes publishes a literary journal twice yearly featuring stories and works of art from survivors and their loved ones. The purpose of the journal is to lift up the voices of survivors and those affected by sexual vioelnce. It can feel really empowering to share your story publicly, and Songs of Survival is a safe place to do so. Sharing your story amongst other survivors can offer a sense of community and camaraderie- reminding you that you are not alone. You can choose to publish your story anonymously if you wish.
Call a Hotline
Hotlines are a great resource for talking to someone about your experiences without ever having to speak to someone face-to-face. This can give you anonymity if you desire it, and take away any of the pressure of having to tell your story to someone who knows you. The operators are trained specifically to offer empathy and compassion and are also trained to diffuse emergencies and crises.
Join the Survivors to Superheroes Team
If you are passionate about ending sexual violence and supporting survivors, volunteering with Survivors to Superheroes might be a good fit for you. You can work on these important issues while sharing your story with a community of survivors and loved ones who are dedicated to supporting each other. We have many open positions, all of which allow you to share your story publicly and with other team members, depending on if and when you are ready to do so. We know what it’s like to experience sexual violence and want to support you in your healing. If you are interested in joining the S2S team click here.