Healing From Sexual Violence
When it comes to “frequently asked questions” about the Beyond Brave Community, “What tools will I learn?” is one of the most important. You don’t want to hear the same old things you’ve tried before that haven’t worked. You don’t want complex, time-consuming tools that are hard to learn and …
Stop Line 3: Part 7 Radical bodies lie down in the road. Radical bodies run toward danger. Radical bodies walk fast and carry water. Radical bodies walk slow and carry messages. Radical bodies bear pepper spray and rubber bullets. Weak bodies stand flat-footed and unrooted. Weak bodies bristle …
What does guilt feel like in the body? Guilt is a reaction to something we have done, an action we have taken. We did something harmful or bad. So we pull back as if we just touched a hot stove, or run away from situations and relationships so we don’t …
Every survivor heals in their own way, and it is not anyone’s place to judge someone’s healing process. And, sometimes, people on the outside who love us can see what we can’t see, and can ask the question, “Are you sure?” When I meet a survivor who acts out toxic …
What does shame feel like in the body? It might feel like stooped shoulders, or hanging your head until your neck is permanently crooked. It might feel like all your muscles are weak, as if the very air is too heavy and it’s all your fault, anyway. When we carry …
Survivors often have a love/hate relationship with their bodies, and may turn their focus toward a random body part (like feet or a mole) or may focus on the body parts that were involved in the abuse (like internal organs or lips). This hatred of the body is triggered by …
It is almost universal that survivors of sexual violence feel damaged. Well-meaning people (and plenty of social media posts) flatly disagree and tell us, “You are worthy just because you are human” or “The Japanese custom of kintsugi uses gold to repair broken pottery, so what happened to you is …
I read an interesting short article from Beth Tyson that got me thinking about how trauma survivors lose their tempers more often than they think they should. For the past several years, I only lose my temper every few months. This frequency is down from many times a day when …
Scientists are always trying to understand the human body, and recently researchers studying stress hormones have linked one to chronic trauma. Long after the traumatic event, they measured it at significantly elevated levels in the study group. This hormone is known to regulate appetite and excess weight. Acyl-ghrelin hormone, abbreviated …
Why are some people angry and destructive right now, and some people stubbornly happy and actually thriving? We are all going through the same social unrest, political chaos, and global pandemic, even if our individual circumstances are different from each other. I believe our responses to this traumatic time are …