I recently received the most amazing story of struggle and survival of a woman who has faced abuse and I would like to share the abbreviated version here.
My name is Jess. I am 29 years old. I suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. I overdosed 12 times my last two being the worse. I woke up on a vent both times. I have been a “cutter” since as long as I can remember. I cut, burn, anything to hurt myself. My last overdose was Nov. 5, 2009. I have not cut or burned myself since then. I still have flashbacks of past abuse and still struggle with things… but I find other ways to cope now… and it’s not always easy. I didn’t know how much detail to go into. I just found this site. But I want you to share my story and I will be available for anyone who wants to contact me as helping others is what keeps me going. :>) jjess2630@aol.comAbuse doesn’t need to be kept as a deep, dark secret. We have nothing to hide, nothing of which to be ashamed, nothing that should diminish us. We have been used, abused, taken advantaged of and we didn’t do a single thing to deserve it except to believe the abuser.
I can’t begin to imagine what this woman has already gone through and has not only survived but wants to help others. I do understand what she says about helping others as something that keeps her going. I have lived that exact same experience in so many ways. After leaving my abusive situation, I did not receive help or counseling so I carried all of it with me for more years than I care to remember. It wasn’t until I started talking about what had happened and started sharing my story with others that I was able to deal with the past.
I am so grateful that Jess found this site and has offered to help others. She has had experiences that I can’t even begin to imagine and I know that there are others out there who know what Jess has experienced because they have gone down the same road. Her story lets those who can relate know that there is always a way out, that there is always someone who can and will help in their own way and I am so glad that Jess has chosen to join me and all of the other survivors who are here and willing to reach out to help others who have either successfully left their abusive situation or are looking for a way to do so.
I encourage you to contact Jess if you would like to share with her. I also encourage anyone else who would like to share their story with me in order that it can be shared with others either to just let them know that they are not alone, or if you choose, to share so that I can let others know about you and your desire to help in any way that you can. I have found that the more that we tell our stories, the more that we are personally helped by the sharing. By sharing, we are also helping others to overcome.
Abuse doesn’t need to be kept as a deep, dark secret. We have nothing to hide, nothing of which to be ashamed, nothing that should diminish us. We have been used, abused, taken advantaged of and we didn’t do a single thing to deserve it except to believe the abuser. It doesn’t matter whether we were abused because we thought we loved the person who abused us or if we were abused because we were threatened by harm to ourselves and/or the ones we love or a combination of both. We were hurt in ways that others will never be able to understand and we can choose to finally speak out and help others. If we can save even one person from being abused or further abused, then we will have accomplished something that perhaps no other person would ever be able to do. Just know that Jess and I and a whole bunch of other survivors are here for you if you wish to contact us.
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Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.