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Welcome to Our Wave.

This is a space where survivors of trauma and abuse share their stories alongside supportive allies. These stories remind us that hope exists even in dark times. You are never alone in your experience. Healing is possible for everyone.

What feels like the right place to start today?
Story
From a survivor
🇨🇴

How do I get out of this relationship?

I'm 21 years old, a woman who thought she'd found the love of her life after longing for love throughout her teenage years. However, it was the complete opposite. If I had known what it would be like to be with this person I thought was the "man of my dreams," I truly would have wished to be alone forever. I met him when I was about 17, and since then, when he was 18, we've been together. We're approaching four years in a relationship, but I seriously need advice on how to get away. We happen to be studying the same major at the same university, and although I'm a little further ahead this semester, we'll be close again. That's why I don't know how to end the relationship, since seeing him every day is going to be very difficult. To give some context as to why I want to end the relationship, I've been suffering psychological abuse since we started, even as friends. At first, I didn't recognize it; I just thought he was a bit different, one of those guys they sell you as a bad boy, and I swore he would change with time, but that hasn't been the case. I had to endure him following many adult film actresses and liking their posts. He also had a history with prostitutes before me, which made me incredibly insecure. Because of this devastating loss of self-esteem, I started self-harming. When he found out, it was the first time he hit me. At first, he claimed it was an accident, but he made me beg him to stop while he stepped on my hands. So many things happened that I don't think I can recount them all, but I know that in the last year of our relationship, everything worsened in terms of physical violence. He started spitting on me, punching me in the head, pulling my hair, slapping me, and leaving me with bruises all over my body. A month ago, I even had to fake a car accident—an idea he came up with. I've been thinking about leaving him for about three months now, but the anxiety and the inability to tell anyone because he's isolated me from my friends is overwhelming. I don't know what else to do. Yesterday, he strangled me, and I lost consciousness for a few seconds. It was so painful, thinking I might have died. I couldn't feel my body; I felt like I was going to collapse, and all he did was keep hitting me even when I begged him to get help because I didn't understand what was happening. All of this happened because I told him I didn't have money to buy food. I can't even spend my own money because I have to give it all to him, otherwise he punishes me by ignoring me and manipulating me by threatening to tell my parents that I've even taken money from them for things I shouldn't have, but it's all for him. I don't love him anymore. I think I'm just on autopilot, but I'm terrified, and I don't have anyone who can be there for me. So I have to endure it for a few more months until I don't have to see him anymore, but what happened yesterday terrifies me that he might end my life. Please, if you read this, tell me what I can do. I want to get out of this before he completely takes over my life.

  • Report

  • Story
    From a survivor
    🇨🇴

    I have no clear memories and I feel a lot of guilt.

    My story is a bit long. When I was 15 or 16, I was reminded of things that had happened when I was between 4 and 5. Two uncles abused me. My memories of this have never been clear, and now, many years later, everything has become more distant and confusing, and I've doubted myself and my story several times. There are other things that happened in my childhood that I do remember more clearly: when I was between 7 and 8, I saw my parents having sex next to me (that night I had slept with them in their bed). Some time later, the same thing happened again, but with my stepfather and my mother. Also, when I was between 7 and 8, I was looking through some CDs in the DVD library at home, trying to label them by genre or movie. One of the CDs was a pornographic film. As usual, I was alone at home, so I watched the whole thing. I don't remember if I masturbated. I know that from a very young age I rubbed myself with stuffed animals, dolls, and other objects, although without much awareness of what I was doing, but the fear of being seen was present. There's something that haunts me right now: when I was 6 or 7 years old, my cousin (a year older) and I played around imitating some positions from a Kama Sutra book she had at home. I also have faint memories of once, while we were bathing, rubbing our private parts together. I don't know if this happened out of mutual curiosity and because of the content of the book we'd been exposed to, or if I was the one who created the situation and persuaded her to do it, or if I manipulated her. I don't remember it happening, but I'm afraid it did. What if I imitated what my uncles did to me or what I saw in the content I was exposed to? I feel fear, guilt, and shame. Also, half a year ago, I remembered that when I was 10 years old and I carried my little sister (who was about a month old) on my lap, I felt a pleasurable stimulus in my intimate area from the contact. When this image came back to me (it wasn't clear either, like my other memories), I felt guilty, but it didn't escalate because I understood it was a physical reaction and nothing more. But then I couldn't stop thinking about it and I wondered if I had prolonged or intensified the contact, and I felt so much guilt, disgust, and shame. It was so strong that I had an episode of OCD, and I feel like I still haven't been able to get out of it, because now I'm flooded with doubts about what happened with my cousin.

  • Report

  • “These moments in time, my brokenness, has been transformed into a mission. My voice used to help others. My experiences making an impact. I now choose to see power, strength, and even beauty in my story.”

    Message of Hope
    From a survivor
    🇮🇳

    Am I the oppressor or was I the oppressed? cousin ‌( A) So, I want to tell you that I come from a very backward community where children are not given sex education. They learn on their own, so I'm from North India So now I come to the main topic. As far as I remember, I was 6 to 8 years old. I was playing sex games with my cousin. As far as I can remember, I I was touching her hips with my buttocks when a boy, probably five years older than me, saw us doing it. We ran away. We were in an open space. And my cousin was a year younger than me. As the boy saw us.He told everything to his brother, my cousin. who was one year older than me. He would beat me up in front of all the boys. Because the boy who saw us doing it told all the boys. They would get me beaten up by his brother and make fun of me. And I want to tell you that.Before that, I think I was molested. I don't remember exactly what happened. But I do remember that some of the boys I played with taught me things about sex. As I recall, the boys were being invited by me to call a girl. And one incident, a lot of the boys were watching porn, and I was watching it too. And I had forgotten all about it. cousin (b) And then when I was 14 I made two more mistakes. I don't know why I did them, because I was curious and naive. I was always sexually aroused. I had sexual thoughts about God. I don't know why, but My second cousin, the daughter of another uncle, who was five years older than me, was sleeping at my house. I had just returned from school. And I looked at her armpit hair and then I started looking at her breasts but immediately removed my gaze and then I bowed to her. When she woke up, I bowed to her without her knowing. Then, once, my sister and I were at my house, along with her older cousin, meaning there were probably five people, including me. So, she was my cousin and had come to look at my sisters' clothes. And I was with them. We took out clothes from the trunk and she tried them on and started showing them off. My sister and cousin were there and I started looking at her. Then one cousin said, that is, scolded me and said, Will you stand here and watch me naked? And I walked away in shame. Now I would like to tell you that my cousin who was five years older than me once hugged me.And I knew about his affair.I saw her with her boyfriend once. She was involved in sex work.so I saw it as a sexual incident. cousin (c) Meanwhile, a cousin, my father's cousin's daughter, and several other boys were playing hide-and-seek. I went and hid near her, and her body touched mine. And I felt good.Then I kept touching her as a game. I didn't feel bad because my cousin used to do that with a cousin. And he was the same cousin who used to beat me. Then that same night We were all watching TV. Then, pretending to be asleep, I touched her waist, even though she was awake. Now I feel very ashamed. This was wrong. I ignored his body language.But I used to touch her playfully. She never refused, and I don't know why. Once, she clung to me, but I didn't like it because her breath smelled bad. And she once mentioned porn.Because my brother and his brother were watching porn, she said, "Your brother is watching it." I said, "I don't know." But she said, "You know everything." I remained silent. I don't know why, but I was scared. How could she say that?And this cousin sister was 2 years younger than me, I was 14 years old and she was 12 to 11 years old when all this started. And all this came to my mind from 2023, I had forgotten it before that. I feel very ashamed I'm not able to move forward in life. I was beaten a lot as a child. Whenever those boys talked about sex, My mind It was a good thing. However, it probably didn't harm anyone because I never forced myself. My family was very strict; they wouldn't let me talk to girls or go out anywhere. I don't feel like talking to anyone.

  • Report

  • “We believe you. Your stories matter.”

    Message of Healing
    From a survivor
    🇮🇳

    Am I the oppressor or was I the oppressed? cousin ‌( A) So, I want to tell you that I come from a very backward community where children are not given sex education. They learn on their own, so I'm from region So now I come to the main topic. As far as I remember, I was 6 to 8 years old. I was playing sex games with my cousin. As far as I can remember, I I was touching her hips with my buttocks when a boy, probably five years older than me, saw us doing it. We ran away. We were in an open space. And my cousin was a year younger than me. As the boy saw us.He told everything to his brother, my cousin. who was one year older than me. He would beat me up in front of all the boys. Because the boy who saw us doing it told all the boys. They would get me beaten up by his brother and make fun of me. And I want to tell you that.Before that, I think I was molested. I don't remember exactly what happened. But I do remember that some of the boys I played with taught me things about sex. As I recall, the boys were being invited by me to call a girl. And one incident, a lot of the boys were watching porn, and I was watching it too. And I had forgotten all about it. cousin (b) And then when I was 14 I made two more mistakes. I don't know why I did them, because I was curious and naive. I was always sexually aroused. I had sexual thoughts about God. I don't know why, but My second cousin, the daughter of another uncle, who was five years older than me, was sleeping at my house. I had just returned from school. And I looked at her armpit hair and then I started looking at her breasts but immediately removed my gaze and then I bowed to her. When she woke up, I bowed to her without her knowing. Then, once, my sister and I were at my house, along with her older cousin, meaning there were probably five people, including me. So, she was my cousin and had come to look at my sisters' clothes. And I was with them. We took out clothes from the trunk and she tried them on and started showing them off. My sister and cousin were there and I started looking at her. Then one cousin said, that is, scolded me and said, Will you stand here and watch me naked? And I walked away in shame. Now I would like to tell you that my cousin who was five years older than me once hugged me.And I knew about his affair.I saw her with her boyfriend once. She was involved in sex work.so I saw it as a sexual incident. cousin (c) Meanwhile, a cousin, my father's cousin's daughter, and several other boys were playing hide-and-seek. I went and hid near her, and her body touched mine. And I felt good.Then I kept touching her as a game. I didn't feel bad because my cousin used to do that with a cousin. And he was the same cousin who used to beat me. Then that same night We were all watching TV. Then, pretending to be asleep, I touched her waist, even though she was awake. Now I feel very ashamed. This was wrong. I ignored his body language.But I used to touch her playfully. She never refused, and I don't know why. Once, she clung to me, but I didn't like it because her breath smelled bad. And she once mentioned porn.Because my brother and his brother were watching porn, she said, "Your brother is watching it." I said, "I don't know." But she said, "You know everything." I remained silent. I don't know why, but I was scared. How could she say that?And this cousin sister was 2 years younger than me, I was 14 years old and she was 12 to 11 years old when all this started. And all this came to my mind from 2023, I had forgotten it before that. I feel very ashamed I'm not able to move forward in life. I was beaten a lot as a child. Whenever those boys talked about sex, My mind It was a good thing. However, it probably didn't harm anyone because I never forced myself. My family was very strict; they wouldn't let me talk to girls or go out anywhere. I don't feel like talking to anyone.

  • Report

  • Welcome to Our Wave.

    This is a space where survivors of trauma and abuse share their stories alongside supportive allies. These stories remind us that hope exists even in dark times. You are never alone in your experience. Healing is possible for everyone.

    What feels like the right place to start today?
    Story
    From a survivor
    🇨🇴

    I have no clear memories and I feel a lot of guilt.

    My story is a bit long. When I was 15 or 16, I was reminded of things that had happened when I was between 4 and 5. Two uncles abused me. My memories of this have never been clear, and now, many years later, everything has become more distant and confusing, and I've doubted myself and my story several times. There are other things that happened in my childhood that I do remember more clearly: when I was between 7 and 8, I saw my parents having sex next to me (that night I had slept with them in their bed). Some time later, the same thing happened again, but with my stepfather and my mother. Also, when I was between 7 and 8, I was looking through some CDs in the DVD library at home, trying to label them by genre or movie. One of the CDs was a pornographic film. As usual, I was alone at home, so I watched the whole thing. I don't remember if I masturbated. I know that from a very young age I rubbed myself with stuffed animals, dolls, and other objects, although without much awareness of what I was doing, but the fear of being seen was present. There's something that haunts me right now: when I was 6 or 7 years old, my cousin (a year older) and I played around imitating some positions from a Kama Sutra book she had at home. I also have faint memories of once, while we were bathing, rubbing our private parts together. I don't know if this happened out of mutual curiosity and because of the content of the book we'd been exposed to, or if I was the one who created the situation and persuaded her to do it, or if I manipulated her. I don't remember it happening, but I'm afraid it did. What if I imitated what my uncles did to me or what I saw in the content I was exposed to? I feel fear, guilt, and shame. Also, half a year ago, I remembered that when I was 10 years old and I carried my little sister (who was about a month old) on my lap, I felt a pleasurable stimulus in my intimate area from the contact. When this image came back to me (it wasn't clear either, like my other memories), I felt guilty, but it didn't escalate because I understood it was a physical reaction and nothing more. But then I couldn't stop thinking about it and I wondered if I had prolonged or intensified the contact, and I felt so much guilt, disgust, and shame. It was so strong that I had an episode of OCD, and I feel like I still haven't been able to get out of it, because now I'm flooded with doubts about what happened with my cousin.

  • Report

  • Message of Hope
    From a survivor
    🇮🇳

    Am I the oppressor or was I the oppressed? cousin ‌( A) So, I want to tell you that I come from a very backward community where children are not given sex education. They learn on their own, so I'm from North India So now I come to the main topic. As far as I remember, I was 6 to 8 years old. I was playing sex games with my cousin. As far as I can remember, I I was touching her hips with my buttocks when a boy, probably five years older than me, saw us doing it. We ran away. We were in an open space. And my cousin was a year younger than me. As the boy saw us.He told everything to his brother, my cousin. who was one year older than me. He would beat me up in front of all the boys. Because the boy who saw us doing it told all the boys. They would get me beaten up by his brother and make fun of me. And I want to tell you that.Before that, I think I was molested. I don't remember exactly what happened. But I do remember that some of the boys I played with taught me things about sex. As I recall, the boys were being invited by me to call a girl. And one incident, a lot of the boys were watching porn, and I was watching it too. And I had forgotten all about it. cousin (b) And then when I was 14 I made two more mistakes. I don't know why I did them, because I was curious and naive. I was always sexually aroused. I had sexual thoughts about God. I don't know why, but My second cousin, the daughter of another uncle, who was five years older than me, was sleeping at my house. I had just returned from school. And I looked at her armpit hair and then I started looking at her breasts but immediately removed my gaze and then I bowed to her. When she woke up, I bowed to her without her knowing. Then, once, my sister and I were at my house, along with her older cousin, meaning there were probably five people, including me. So, she was my cousin and had come to look at my sisters' clothes. And I was with them. We took out clothes from the trunk and she tried them on and started showing them off. My sister and cousin were there and I started looking at her. Then one cousin said, that is, scolded me and said, Will you stand here and watch me naked? And I walked away in shame. Now I would like to tell you that my cousin who was five years older than me once hugged me.And I knew about his affair.I saw her with her boyfriend once. She was involved in sex work.so I saw it as a sexual incident. cousin (c) Meanwhile, a cousin, my father's cousin's daughter, and several other boys were playing hide-and-seek. I went and hid near her, and her body touched mine. And I felt good.Then I kept touching her as a game. I didn't feel bad because my cousin used to do that with a cousin. And he was the same cousin who used to beat me. Then that same night We were all watching TV. Then, pretending to be asleep, I touched her waist, even though she was awake. Now I feel very ashamed. This was wrong. I ignored his body language.But I used to touch her playfully. She never refused, and I don't know why. Once, she clung to me, but I didn't like it because her breath smelled bad. And she once mentioned porn.Because my brother and his brother were watching porn, she said, "Your brother is watching it." I said, "I don't know." But she said, "You know everything." I remained silent. I don't know why, but I was scared. How could she say that?And this cousin sister was 2 years younger than me, I was 14 years old and she was 12 to 11 years old when all this started. And all this came to my mind from 2023, I had forgotten it before that. I feel very ashamed I'm not able to move forward in life. I was beaten a lot as a child. Whenever those boys talked about sex, My mind It was a good thing. However, it probably didn't harm anyone because I never forced myself. My family was very strict; they wouldn't let me talk to girls or go out anywhere. I don't feel like talking to anyone.

  • Report

  • Message of Healing
    From a survivor
    🇮🇳

    Am I the oppressor or was I the oppressed? cousin ‌( A) So, I want to tell you that I come from a very backward community where children are not given sex education. They learn on their own, so I'm from region So now I come to the main topic. As far as I remember, I was 6 to 8 years old. I was playing sex games with my cousin. As far as I can remember, I I was touching her hips with my buttocks when a boy, probably five years older than me, saw us doing it. We ran away. We were in an open space. And my cousin was a year younger than me. As the boy saw us.He told everything to his brother, my cousin. who was one year older than me. He would beat me up in front of all the boys. Because the boy who saw us doing it told all the boys. They would get me beaten up by his brother and make fun of me. And I want to tell you that.Before that, I think I was molested. I don't remember exactly what happened. But I do remember that some of the boys I played with taught me things about sex. As I recall, the boys were being invited by me to call a girl. And one incident, a lot of the boys were watching porn, and I was watching it too. And I had forgotten all about it. cousin (b) And then when I was 14 I made two more mistakes. I don't know why I did them, because I was curious and naive. I was always sexually aroused. I had sexual thoughts about God. I don't know why, but My second cousin, the daughter of another uncle, who was five years older than me, was sleeping at my house. I had just returned from school. And I looked at her armpit hair and then I started looking at her breasts but immediately removed my gaze and then I bowed to her. When she woke up, I bowed to her without her knowing. Then, once, my sister and I were at my house, along with her older cousin, meaning there were probably five people, including me. So, she was my cousin and had come to look at my sisters' clothes. And I was with them. We took out clothes from the trunk and she tried them on and started showing them off. My sister and cousin were there and I started looking at her. Then one cousin said, that is, scolded me and said, Will you stand here and watch me naked? And I walked away in shame. Now I would like to tell you that my cousin who was five years older than me once hugged me.And I knew about his affair.I saw her with her boyfriend once. She was involved in sex work.so I saw it as a sexual incident. cousin (c) Meanwhile, a cousin, my father's cousin's daughter, and several other boys were playing hide-and-seek. I went and hid near her, and her body touched mine. And I felt good.Then I kept touching her as a game. I didn't feel bad because my cousin used to do that with a cousin. And he was the same cousin who used to beat me. Then that same night We were all watching TV. Then, pretending to be asleep, I touched her waist, even though she was awake. Now I feel very ashamed. This was wrong. I ignored his body language.But I used to touch her playfully. She never refused, and I don't know why. Once, she clung to me, but I didn't like it because her breath smelled bad. And she once mentioned porn.Because my brother and his brother were watching porn, she said, "Your brother is watching it." I said, "I don't know." But she said, "You know everything." I remained silent. I don't know why, but I was scared. How could she say that?And this cousin sister was 2 years younger than me, I was 14 years old and she was 12 to 11 years old when all this started. And all this came to my mind from 2023, I had forgotten it before that. I feel very ashamed I'm not able to move forward in life. I was beaten a lot as a child. Whenever those boys talked about sex, My mind It was a good thing. However, it probably didn't harm anyone because I never forced myself. My family was very strict; they wouldn't let me talk to girls or go out anywhere. I don't feel like talking to anyone.

  • Report

  • Story
    From a survivor
    🇨🇴

    How do I get out of this relationship?

    I'm 21 years old, a woman who thought she'd found the love of her life after longing for love throughout her teenage years. However, it was the complete opposite. If I had known what it would be like to be with this person I thought was the "man of my dreams," I truly would have wished to be alone forever. I met him when I was about 17, and since then, when he was 18, we've been together. We're approaching four years in a relationship, but I seriously need advice on how to get away. We happen to be studying the same major at the same university, and although I'm a little further ahead this semester, we'll be close again. That's why I don't know how to end the relationship, since seeing him every day is going to be very difficult. To give some context as to why I want to end the relationship, I've been suffering psychological abuse since we started, even as friends. At first, I didn't recognize it; I just thought he was a bit different, one of those guys they sell you as a bad boy, and I swore he would change with time, but that hasn't been the case. I had to endure him following many adult film actresses and liking their posts. He also had a history with prostitutes before me, which made me incredibly insecure. Because of this devastating loss of self-esteem, I started self-harming. When he found out, it was the first time he hit me. At first, he claimed it was an accident, but he made me beg him to stop while he stepped on my hands. So many things happened that I don't think I can recount them all, but I know that in the last year of our relationship, everything worsened in terms of physical violence. He started spitting on me, punching me in the head, pulling my hair, slapping me, and leaving me with bruises all over my body. A month ago, I even had to fake a car accident—an idea he came up with. I've been thinking about leaving him for about three months now, but the anxiety and the inability to tell anyone because he's isolated me from my friends is overwhelming. I don't know what else to do. Yesterday, he strangled me, and I lost consciousness for a few seconds. It was so painful, thinking I might have died. I couldn't feel my body; I felt like I was going to collapse, and all he did was keep hitting me even when I begged him to get help because I didn't understand what was happening. All of this happened because I told him I didn't have money to buy food. I can't even spend my own money because I have to give it all to him, otherwise he punishes me by ignoring me and manipulating me by threatening to tell my parents that I've even taken money from them for things I shouldn't have, but it's all for him. I don't love him anymore. I think I'm just on autopilot, but I'm terrified, and I don't have anyone who can be there for me. So I have to endure it for a few more months until I don't have to see him anymore, but what happened yesterday terrifies me that he might end my life. Please, if you read this, tell me what I can do. I want to get out of this before he completely takes over my life.

  • Report

  • “These moments in time, my brokenness, has been transformed into a mission. My voice used to help others. My experiences making an impact. I now choose to see power, strength, and even beauty in my story.”

    “We believe you. Your stories matter.”

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    Grounding activity

    Find a comfortable place to sit. Gently close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths - in through your nose (count to 3), out through your mouth (count of 3). Now open your eyes and look around you. Name the following out loud:

    5 – things you can see (you can look within the room and out of the window)

    4 – things you can feel (what is in front of you that you can touch?)

    3 – things you can hear

    2 – things you can smell

    1 – thing you like about yourself.

    Take a deep breath to end.

    From where you are sitting, look around for things that have a texture or are nice or interesting to look at.

    Hold an object in your hand and bring your full focus to it. Look at where shadows fall on parts of it or maybe where there are shapes that form within the object. Feel how heavy or light it is in your hand and what the surface texture feels like under your fingers (This can also be done with a pet if you have one).

    Take a deep breath to end.

    Ask yourself the following questions and answer them out loud:

    1. Where am I?

    2. What day of the week is today?

    3. What is today’s date?

    4. What is the current month?

    5. What is the current year?

    6. How old am I?

    7. What season is it?

    Take a deep breath to end.

    Put your right hand palm down on your left shoulder. Put your left hand palm down on your right shoulder. Choose a sentence that will strengthen you. For example: “I am powerful.” Say the sentence out loud first and pat your right hand on your left shoulder, then your left hand on your right shoulder.

    Alternate the patting. Do ten pats altogether, five on each side, each time repeating your sentences aloud.

    Take a deep breath to end.

    Cross your arms in front of you and draw them towards your chest. With your right hand, hold your left upper arm. With your left hand, hold your right upper arm. Squeeze gently, and pull your arms inwards. Hold the squeeze for a little while, finding the right amount of squeeze for you in this moment. Hold the tension and release. Then squeeze for a little while again and release. Stay like that for a moment.

    Take a deep breath to end.