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Survivor story

#1256

Original story

Message to a Survivor

I don't think I am able to at this time

Message of Healing

I really don't know , all I know that I can't feel like this .

I was sexually abuse ,by my paternal grandfather when I was about 5 or 6 ,I don't know the exact age or time. I do know that it happened in a bedroom in my grandparents house. I could never see his face when I would think about it and to be honest never knew who had done this to me until ,when I was 12 an aunt of mine ,moved back in with my grandfather with her husband and children. For what ever reason I decided to visit her. She wasn't in ,but my grandfather was ,and he sexually abused me . It all came flooding back about what he had done. I never told anyone. When I was 18 ,there was a meeting of ny relatives in my family home. I had returned from work to find my cousin in kitchen . She was saying that our grandfather had abused her and her sister. I froze. No one believed her and as they all left he turned and thanked me. I only told my mother 2 years later ,when he was on his death bed. I never got help, my mother never told anyone and never spoke about it again. Until 5 weeks ago, when another cousin of mine ,a younger sister to the two that had spoke up over 30 years ago.. My mother rang to tell me what this cousin was saying, my mother said that the family always kept secrets, and this cousin was filling everyone's mouth. I confronted my mother about knowing and she blamed me for not speaking up when they had the meeting all those years ago. The problem I have now is that it is all I can think about. My mother then went on to tell my younger brother, who rang me and told me. I had to tell my adult sons what had happened to me all those years ago. I feel so bad now because I had buried all those feelings that I had ,now I am reliving it every minute of the day for over the last 5 weeks. I am now 53 years old

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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.