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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
🇵🇪

Broken

I was a victim of child sexual abuse when I was 7 years old and my cousin's stepbrother was 9 or 10. He abused me for two years. I told my mother what happened, and his parents punished him. Most of my family didn't believe me. In a conversation with my mother, she told me I had probably made up the whole abuse and that I was a liar, and I cried a lot that day. My grandmother is proud of him because he's a doctor in Germany and has a good life, while I'm trapped. I can't stand being touched and I can't get over it, even though I've been to therapy. Yesterday I saw his Instagram and felt bad because he moved on and I didn't. He told me it was a secret and I trusted him (the three of us were alone because my uncle and his wife -who is the mother of my abuser- are doctors so they were always in the hospital). They would leave the food ready for us and he (A) would put it in the microwave. A pulled my pants down a little or lift my skirt (if i was wearing one). When A was on top of me he was kissing me- it was overwhelming and i couldn't focus on anything else but his breath and voice, he was grabbing his crotch, but I didn't understand what he was doing. We were playing normal with his little sister and then A exclude her from the game to be alone with me so A put her in front of the television so she wouldn't focus on us and was distracted. Then A guided me to the room, he close the door to the room he shared with his sister (my cousin's bed was near the door and his wasn't), so he would make me lie down on the floor next to his bed so no one could see us. At first, I would get on top of him, but then he said I was too heavy to be in that position (I guess it wasn't comfortable for him to abuse me). That led to an eating disorder that I still have; I even developed anemia last year. I remember once I ran to the bathroom because something didn't feel right, but he started banging on the door but then I realized there was nothing I could do, I mean where would I go? My uncles locked us out. I remember once, A didn't close the door properly because his sister came in, and he straightened his clothes and pushed me under his bed, but his sister saw me and asked me what I was doing there, and I stayed there for a long time. And her sister got under the bed to keep me company; she was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear her, or maybe I wasn't paying attention. I think I'm broken, because his kisses and his voice in my ear were too much, and I never noticed if he ejaculated or if something else happened that I overlooked or never noticed because I never went to a doctor, my mom never reported him. And we couldn't count on my dad because he abandoned us and went off with the neighbor and treated her daughter as his own while the abuse was happening. That's why I lived in their house during that time; that's why the abuse continued because I was in the provinces and my mother traveled to the capital because of a false accusation my father made against her. A year later, my mother's half-brother baptized me with my abuser's mother, and I never said anything. I just smiled in the photos as if nothing was wrong while I hugged A. Now I´m 22 and I still feel sick and dirty.

  • Report

  • Message of Hope
    From a survivor
    🇦🇷

    If you are reading this and you are living through abuse, I want you to know that there is a way out. I know how it feels to believe that you are trapped. I know what it feels like to feel like there are no options, like nobody will believe you, like the obstacles in front of you are too big to overcome. For many years, I felt that way. I was isolated. I was afraid. I was living in a situation where I felt like I had lost control over my own life. I did not know how I would leave, how I would protect my children, or how I would rebuild everything that had been taken from me. But I want you to know something: The fact that you are still here means there is still hope. Your story is not over. You are not defined by what someone has done to you. You are not powerless. Even if you cannot see the path forward yet, that does not mean there is no path. For me, survival did not happen all at once. It happened one decision at a time. It was choosing to keep going for my children. It was documenting what happened. It was asking for help. It was taking one more step even when I was exhausted. There were times when I thought I could not continue. There were times when I felt like I had lost myself completely. But little by little, I started finding my way back. My faith has also carried me through this journey. I believe that God was with me even in the darkest moments, including the moments when I felt alone. I believe He gave me strength when I did not have strength of my own. If you are still in the middle of your battle, I want you to be patient and gentle with yourself. Healing takes time. Rebuilding takes time. Sometimes progress does not look like a big victory—it looks like making it through another day, protecting yourself, or taking one small step toward freedom. Please remember: You deserve safety. You deserve respect. You deserve to be believed. You deserve a life beyond survival. I am still fighting my own battles. I am still healing. I am still working toward the day my children and I can finally be completely safe. But I am proof that even after years of pain, a person can begin again. Do not give up. There is a future beyond what you are experiencing right now.

  • Report

  • Taking ‘time for yourself’ does not always mean spending the day at the spa. Mental health may also mean it is ok to set boundaries, to recognize your emotions, to prioritize sleep, to find peace in being still. I hope you take time for yourself today, in the way you need it most.

    Message of Healing
    From a survivor
    🇦🇷

    I do not consider myself completely healed yet. Healing, for me, is not a moment where everything that happened disappears or where the pain no longer exists. I am still living through the aftermath of years of abuse. I am still fighting for my children. I am still navigating the legal process that stands between us and the safe future I am working toward. I am still learning how to live with the effects of trauma and PTSD. But my understanding of healing has changed. I no longer believe healing means that I will never hurt again. I believe healing means that, even while I carry wounds, I continue moving forward. My faith has been a major part of that journey. As a Christian, I believe that God was with me even in the moments when I felt completely alone. There were times when I felt abandoned, when I did not understand why I was going through so much, and when I questioned how I could keep going. But looking back, I can see moments where I was given strength when I did not think I had any left. My healing has not been about pretending the pain did not happen. It has been about trusting that my story does not end with what was done to me. I believe God gave me the strength to protect my children, to keep fighting, and to continue standing when I felt like I was broken. I believe that my life still has purpose, and that the years I spent surviving do not define the rest of my story. Healing has meant learning that I am worthy of love, respect, and safety. It has meant allowing myself to accept help after years of believing I had to carry everything alone. It has meant rebuilding my confidence, rediscovering who I am, and understanding that I am not only a survivor of what happened—I am also a mother, a woman, a daughter, and a person with a future. I am still healing. I am still fighting. I am still learning. But I am not the same person I was when I was trapped in fear. My faith reminds me that God can bring beauty from broken places. It reminds me that suffering is not the end of the story. It reminds me that even in the hardest seasons, I am not walking alone. To me, healing is not forgetting the past. Healing is allowing God to use my story for something greater. Healing is choosing hope even while I am still in the middle of the battle. Healing is believing that what was meant to destroy me will not have the final word.

  • Report

  • Healing isn’t about having a perfect life — it’s about being honest, being human, and choosing, even in the darkest times, to keep going.

    Shared by a survivor

    Message #1588

    Story
    From a survivor
    🇮🇪

    When a yes turns to a no

    I was 18. In college I was part of a ladies team on in college sports team. There were also male teams. There was a inter college tournament that our college was hosting for other male college teams within Ireland. We all had nights out planned and a 'play hard, play hard' attitude. It was great to be part of something - I genuinely loved playing and being part of the club. On one of the nights I was drinking and got to talking with a guy from another college mens team. It was fun and we ended up back at his hotel room, where we had consensual sex. After, I remember feeling groggy and then being suddenly awoken to all these lads barging in. They ripped the bed cover off us and I remember phone flashes going off. It was year so, not exactly amazing phones back them. Slagging of various types ensued but then I remember being held down. At least 2 different men. I remember saying no, please stop. Flashes in and out while I just stared at the corner of the bedside table, thinking how similar it was to the one in my parents room. Weird. I must have slept at some point because I woke up. I got dressed. I remembered nothing. Nothing but the sex with the lad I kissed. Naturally, the next morning is always awkward so I wanted to get out of there. Just as the hotel room door clicked shut I realised I had left my shoes. I knocked back and had to do so loudly as everyone was deep asleep. As I was doing that one of the other team members opened a door across the hall, he stared at me. I said sorry for waking him but I needed my shoes. He just said he was so sorry. I was confused, having no memory of what he was actually talking about, so I said I'm sorry I left my shoes. Eventually someone opened the door and I got my shoes. Leaving the hotel and walking to the nearest bus stop, I felt appropriately hung over but sore. Down there. I'd never been sore before. Guess we must have really gone for it, I thought. Fast forward to lockdown 3 during Covid, I began experiencing severe nightmares that weren't nightmares. The missing memories came back over 2/3 months and I realised that I had been rated multiple times. That my brain had protected me until now. My SA, unknowingly, had a huge impact on my formative years - I came out as bisexual just 2 years ago. I feel I would have had a very different 20's but I met a decent guy, stuck with him like glue and am now married with a child. Due to the memory block, I have no recourse. No sense of justice so I just hope those boys, now grown men, are better than they were.

  • 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
    🇵🇪

    Broken

    I was a victim of child sexual abuse when I was 7 years old and my cousin's stepbrother was 9 or 10. He abused me for two years. I told my mother what happened, and his parents punished him. Most of my family didn't believe me. In a conversation with my mother, she told me I had probably made up the whole abuse and that I was a liar, and I cried a lot that day. My grandmother is proud of him because he's a doctor in Germany and has a good life, while I'm trapped. I can't stand being touched and I can't get over it, even though I've been to therapy. Yesterday I saw his Instagram and felt bad because he moved on and I didn't. He told me it was a secret and I trusted him (the three of us were alone because my uncle and his wife -who is the mother of my abuser- are doctors so they were always in the hospital). They would leave the food ready for us and he (A) would put it in the microwave. A pulled my pants down a little or lift my skirt (if i was wearing one). When A was on top of me he was kissing me- it was overwhelming and i couldn't focus on anything else but his breath and voice, he was grabbing his crotch, but I didn't understand what he was doing. We were playing normal with his little sister and then A exclude her from the game to be alone with me so A put her in front of the television so she wouldn't focus on us and was distracted. Then A guided me to the room, he close the door to the room he shared with his sister (my cousin's bed was near the door and his wasn't), so he would make me lie down on the floor next to his bed so no one could see us. At first, I would get on top of him, but then he said I was too heavy to be in that position (I guess it wasn't comfortable for him to abuse me). That led to an eating disorder that I still have; I even developed anemia last year. I remember once I ran to the bathroom because something didn't feel right, but he started banging on the door but then I realized there was nothing I could do, I mean where would I go? My uncles locked us out. I remember once, A didn't close the door properly because his sister came in, and he straightened his clothes and pushed me under his bed, but his sister saw me and asked me what I was doing there, and I stayed there for a long time. And her sister got under the bed to keep me company; she was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear her, or maybe I wasn't paying attention. I think I'm broken, because his kisses and his voice in my ear were too much, and I never noticed if he ejaculated or if something else happened that I overlooked or never noticed because I never went to a doctor, my mom never reported him. And we couldn't count on my dad because he abandoned us and went off with the neighbor and treated her daughter as his own while the abuse was happening. That's why I lived in their house during that time; that's why the abuse continued because I was in the provinces and my mother traveled to the capital because of a false accusation my father made against her. A year later, my mother's half-brother baptized me with my abuser's mother, and I never said anything. I just smiled in the photos as if nothing was wrong while I hugged A. Now I´m 22 and I still feel sick and dirty.

  • Report

  • Taking ‘time for yourself’ does not always mean spending the day at the spa. Mental health may also mean it is ok to set boundaries, to recognize your emotions, to prioritize sleep, to find peace in being still. I hope you take time for yourself today, in the way you need it most.

    Healing isn’t about having a perfect life — it’s about being honest, being human, and choosing, even in the darkest times, to keep going.

    Shared by a survivor

    Message #1588

    Message of Hope
    From a survivor
    🇦🇷

    If you are reading this and you are living through abuse, I want you to know that there is a way out. I know how it feels to believe that you are trapped. I know what it feels like to feel like there are no options, like nobody will believe you, like the obstacles in front of you are too big to overcome. For many years, I felt that way. I was isolated. I was afraid. I was living in a situation where I felt like I had lost control over my own life. I did not know how I would leave, how I would protect my children, or how I would rebuild everything that had been taken from me. But I want you to know something: The fact that you are still here means there is still hope. Your story is not over. You are not defined by what someone has done to you. You are not powerless. Even if you cannot see the path forward yet, that does not mean there is no path. For me, survival did not happen all at once. It happened one decision at a time. It was choosing to keep going for my children. It was documenting what happened. It was asking for help. It was taking one more step even when I was exhausted. There were times when I thought I could not continue. There were times when I felt like I had lost myself completely. But little by little, I started finding my way back. My faith has also carried me through this journey. I believe that God was with me even in the darkest moments, including the moments when I felt alone. I believe He gave me strength when I did not have strength of my own. If you are still in the middle of your battle, I want you to be patient and gentle with yourself. Healing takes time. Rebuilding takes time. Sometimes progress does not look like a big victory—it looks like making it through another day, protecting yourself, or taking one small step toward freedom. Please remember: You deserve safety. You deserve respect. You deserve to be believed. You deserve a life beyond survival. I am still fighting my own battles. I am still healing. I am still working toward the day my children and I can finally be completely safe. But I am proof that even after years of pain, a person can begin again. Do not give up. There is a future beyond what you are experiencing right now.

  • Report

  • Message of Healing
    From a survivor
    🇦🇷

    I do not consider myself completely healed yet. Healing, for me, is not a moment where everything that happened disappears or where the pain no longer exists. I am still living through the aftermath of years of abuse. I am still fighting for my children. I am still navigating the legal process that stands between us and the safe future I am working toward. I am still learning how to live with the effects of trauma and PTSD. But my understanding of healing has changed. I no longer believe healing means that I will never hurt again. I believe healing means that, even while I carry wounds, I continue moving forward. My faith has been a major part of that journey. As a Christian, I believe that God was with me even in the moments when I felt completely alone. There were times when I felt abandoned, when I did not understand why I was going through so much, and when I questioned how I could keep going. But looking back, I can see moments where I was given strength when I did not think I had any left. My healing has not been about pretending the pain did not happen. It has been about trusting that my story does not end with what was done to me. I believe God gave me the strength to protect my children, to keep fighting, and to continue standing when I felt like I was broken. I believe that my life still has purpose, and that the years I spent surviving do not define the rest of my story. Healing has meant learning that I am worthy of love, respect, and safety. It has meant allowing myself to accept help after years of believing I had to carry everything alone. It has meant rebuilding my confidence, rediscovering who I am, and understanding that I am not only a survivor of what happened—I am also a mother, a woman, a daughter, and a person with a future. I am still healing. I am still fighting. I am still learning. But I am not the same person I was when I was trapped in fear. My faith reminds me that God can bring beauty from broken places. It reminds me that suffering is not the end of the story. It reminds me that even in the hardest seasons, I am not walking alone. To me, healing is not forgetting the past. Healing is allowing God to use my story for something greater. Healing is choosing hope even while I am still in the middle of the battle. Healing is believing that what was meant to destroy me will not have the final word.

  • Report

  • Story
    From a survivor
    🇮🇪

    When a yes turns to a no

    I was 18. In college I was part of a ladies team on in college sports team. There were also male teams. There was a inter college tournament that our college was hosting for other male college teams within Ireland. We all had nights out planned and a 'play hard, play hard' attitude. It was great to be part of something - I genuinely loved playing and being part of the club. On one of the nights I was drinking and got to talking with a guy from another college mens team. It was fun and we ended up back at his hotel room, where we had consensual sex. After, I remember feeling groggy and then being suddenly awoken to all these lads barging in. They ripped the bed cover off us and I remember phone flashes going off. It was year so, not exactly amazing phones back them. Slagging of various types ensued but then I remember being held down. At least 2 different men. I remember saying no, please stop. Flashes in and out while I just stared at the corner of the bedside table, thinking how similar it was to the one in my parents room. Weird. I must have slept at some point because I woke up. I got dressed. I remembered nothing. Nothing but the sex with the lad I kissed. Naturally, the next morning is always awkward so I wanted to get out of there. Just as the hotel room door clicked shut I realised I had left my shoes. I knocked back and had to do so loudly as everyone was deep asleep. As I was doing that one of the other team members opened a door across the hall, he stared at me. I said sorry for waking him but I needed my shoes. He just said he was so sorry. I was confused, having no memory of what he was actually talking about, so I said I'm sorry I left my shoes. Eventually someone opened the door and I got my shoes. Leaving the hotel and walking to the nearest bus stop, I felt appropriately hung over but sore. Down there. I'd never been sore before. Guess we must have really gone for it, I thought. Fast forward to lockdown 3 during Covid, I began experiencing severe nightmares that weren't nightmares. The missing memories came back over 2/3 months and I realised that I had been rated multiple times. That my brain had protected me until now. My SA, unknowingly, had a huge impact on my formative years - I came out as bisexual just 2 years ago. I feel I would have had a very different 20's but I met a decent guy, stuck with him like glue and am now married with a child. Due to the memory block, I have no recourse. No sense of justice so I just hope those boys, now grown men, are better than they were.

  • Report

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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.