What Do You Need to Do to Take Back Your Power?

If you or a loved one has been sexually assaulted, I am so sorry for the senseless suffering you are enduring.   Please know it’s not your fault.  You are a crime victim.  Rape and sexual assault are about power.  Criminals commit crimes because they feel powerless.  To empower themselves, they choose to take away someone else's power.  

It’s devastating.  Because you’re struggling to survive every moment of every day, you don’t even realize they’ve taken away your power on so many different levels.  After you start receiving counseling and healing, you will come to a point where you should start thinking about what you need to do to take back your power.  For me, it was going public and telling everyone I know and meet.  Then, volunteering for sexual violence prevention non-profits.  Eventually, it became writing a screenplay which turned into a book and grew into starting my own book publishing company for trauma survivors which I’m launching soon.

With the guidance of your therapist, it might helpful for you to start thinking about what you need to do to take back your power.  It’s different for everyone.  I recommend consulting a qualified healthcare professional to help you sort out your feelings and goals.  You can do this!  I know you can.  If you delve down into the depths of your soul, you’ll realize that you know you can, too.

How to Practice Self-care and Still Be There for Others

Years ago, one of my counselors at the YWCA told me that survivors of childhood sexual assault usually have difficulties setting boundaries.  She said we’re like a house with all of the windows wide open or all of the windows closed and locked down.   There’s no in between because we were groomed (or I like to say brainwashed) as a child.  The child predators carefully talked to us as they went a little bit farther physically each time.  This made us feel as if it was consensual and therefore our fault. 

Now we know by definition of the law that a child cannot consent to sex, so children are not to blame and don’t have anything to be ashamed about because they were manipulated.  All of the blame and shame belongs to the criminal who assaulted them. 

I still have problems setting boundaries because I tend to put other people’s needs ahead of mine.  Reminding myself to think about what I want first, helps me not lose track of my wishes.  Then, I work on figuring out how I can help the other person while still practicing self-care.  It’s not easy when you don't have a lot of extra time like most of us don't these days, but it works for me most of the time.

Awareness About Your Numbness is Huge!

Wisely, the YWCA always had a focus or theme for our sexual violence group therapy sessions which I think lasted about 8 weeks.  I remember one where we focused on listening to our body.  We explored painful or uncomfortable sensations and learned these feelings were a manifestation of the sexual assaults we suffered.

Mine was a huge, black, jagged rock in my chest which felt like it was shredding my heart.  Yes, talking about it was painful, but continuing to live with it was worse.  That’s why I kept going to my group therapy sessions and one-on-one therapy.  Over time, awareness about this sensation and consistent, one-on-one therapy helped me eventually obliterate it.

During the “listening to our body” group therapy sessions, I also remember another woman there who said she was only experiencing numbness.  Slumping in her chair, she said she just couldn’t feel anything.  One of the counselors said, “That’s great!  You’re awareness about the numbness is huge!!!  The woman’s face lit up.  She smiled the warmest smile I’d ever seen on her, and she sat straight up.

At the time, I didn’t understand the counselor was right.  I thought she was just trying to make her feel included since she was praising everyone else for their insights.  Later, I realized that acknowledging her numbness was huge since awareness is the first step to healing.  Unfortunately, like most sexual violence survivors, we all suffered from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which mirrors the PTSD war veterans experience.

The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) categorizes numbness as an avoidance symptom for obvious reasons.  Other categories include re-experiencing  and hyperarousal symptoms.  Read more about PTSD symptoms on the NIMH’s website.

Finding Your Wonder of the World

Wonders of the world

They say are seven

All breath-taking,

A slice of heaven,

Yet, they always forget the most

Beautiful

Mystical

Amazing

Wonder of them all.

Miraculous.

Deeper than the ocean,

Infinite, yet mortal, and

Reading this now.

That wonder is you.

Feeling lost?  You can be found.

Don’t keep going round and round,

Afraid of losing and finding you

You are amazing.  Breath-taking

The eighth wonder of the world

You are the slice of heaven that you crave

Stop living with one foot in the grave

I pray you find professional counseling in your community.  Meanwhile, I hope Mariah Carey’s song “Hero” inspires you to follow your healing path.

 

I Hope You Dance!

While most people I knew were exploring the world in their twenties, I was hiding from it.  Living in survival mode in my twenties and thirties didn’t help me develop long-lasting friendships.  Among other things, I realized the other day that I feel as if I missed out on making lifelong friends because of it.  Now, I feel the urge to explore the world, so what do I do now?  I’m not sure, but I’m not dead yet, so there’s still time.  Meanwhile, I'll be dancing.  Watch this video of Lee Ann Womack singing I Hope You Dance, and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Feeling Sad or Depressed? Try Writing about What Makes You Happy

Feeling sad or depressed?  Try writing about what makes you happy.  For me, it’s seeing bunnies in my neighborhood on my way home since I usually don’t see them in the morning.  I like stopping and talking to them for a few minutes while giving them their personal space.  Although I’m sure they probably think I’m kind of weird, they also seem to like the company.  Then, there’s exploring the forest preserves with a friend when we came across a doe with her baby deer.  We couldn’t stop telling the beautiful doe they were so adorable.  Like the bunnies, she stuck around for a while before leaving.  Wow!  What an adventure for a city girl like me.  That was cool!

Get the idea?  Of course, if it’s something that you can do right now, do it instead of writing about it.  If not, try to think about what’s the next best thing that would make you happy that you can do or write about.  Don’t wait for someone else to make you happy.  As part of your self-care, make it a habit of asking yourself what makes you happy or what would make you happy.  Then, write about it or do it.