“I would recommend the program as I believe everyone survivor deserves to be heard and understood and have their experiences validated so they can take back their power and live so much more life that may have been stolen away.”
“My main take away would be just how much CSA has impacted and shaped me despite me thinking that by ignoring what happened was the only way to live life. Having a better understanding is helping me come to terms with what happened and also seeing that I have no blame for what happened.”
“I have never had my feelings about CSA or incest validated, never been shown such compassion and concern for my wellbeing that it made me feel far less alone. I didn’t know that’s all I needed. I feel I can move on with my life knowing there is a community of people who understand me and my experiences, I feel far less shame than I used to.”
“Although it was challenging and confronting at times, I was supported by specialist counsellors as well as the other participants who were brave in sharing their stories and gave me strength to share mine. I felt safe to speak my truth, to give my trauma some air to help it heal. And I believe I have really healed so much.”
“I learnt that I dissociate a lot more than I thought I did. The course really helped me to reconnect with my body and emotions through prioritising self-care practices each week and allowing myself to feel all the feelings that came up and to process them with the new knowledge and insights gained each week.”
“I liked that it moved at a slow and steady pace. It really helped to soak in and digest information and content about CSA. I also liked that we could look at the impacts of CSA from a systemic perspective also, such as with the role of patriarchy in CSA.”
“I liked that there were women from all different walks of life and intersections that could come together and share their common experiences in a safe and judgement free environment.”
“I liked the fact that it was such a safe space to share and heal. Now I have found the words, voice and courage to express my experience, which I couldn’t disclose before. I will remember the key message – shame should lie with the perpetrator, not me.”
“There are times when I feel I may have made the whole thing up, but the effect of my experience with CSA is so evident in my life. Now that I know how it has affected me, I can take more actions towards forgiving myself for letting life pass me by and continue to live it with more presence and passion.”
“The benefit of doing the work in a group setting is hearing other people’s stories, not feeling alone and feeling supported and encouraged in our pathways. It has helped to connect with a whole community who are passionate about spreading awareness of CSA, supporting survivors and creating more dialogue and awareness so it doesn’t happen to any child anymore. It also helps that the counsellors are trauma informed and have worked with other clients with a history of CSA.”
“I felt very connected to the group and the facilitators allowed us all to feel free to say what was going for us and regularly checked in with our well-being. I actually grew to really look forward to seeing my Tuesday night family.”
“Talking to and hearing other people with similar experience was an eye opener. We all live with similar confusions, guilt, shame, anxiety and show signs of despair when faced with situations outside our control. It was like seeing my experience from different angles. I really got an insight into why I do things the way I do, or respond to situations in a certain way and why I am hyper-vigilant and my brain is wired/tuned to look for danger even when everything is safe in my life at the moment.”
“I like having a safe space to talk about these topics without judgement or feeling insecure. It was a very comfortable environment and all participants connected really well.”
“Its been such a learning experience – learning from the facilitators who are kind and compassionate and genuine human beings and learning from other kind ladies who had a similar experience as me. Seeing them helped me see myself through another lens too. Helped to be more compassionate with myself, helped talk more openly about things and feelings I found so difficult to open up and knowing that I’m not judged. Thanks for creating such a safe space for us to share and start our healing journey.”
“Sometimes words weren’t even needed to express. We instantly knew it and started looking out for each other. Compassion towards others and towards me is what I felt throughout these sessions.”