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Sandy Smith's avatar

I was so naive as a child, teen and young adult, and sometimes I’m not sure how that happened. I seemed to be oblivious to what was happening around me. For that I am partly grateful.

However, I think that lack of understanding also left me without a realistic perception of some of the things I experienced. So I carried my experiences alone. It was shame and a lack of understanding that kept me from seeking help.

Your mention of the pressure to move on resonates. “Leaving those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before….” This was the advice I received from well-meaning Christians when I attempted to seek help as a young adult.

Then, of course, the struggle over whether my experiences mattered—whether they were reason enough to need help…. There is so much that stands in the way of survivors breaking their silence.

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