Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse | Incest
by Christina Enevoldsen This past week in the survivor community on Facebook, an abuse advocate was exposed as an abuser. It caused an uproar, with some siding with his victims and many (including other advocates) supporting him. Like all abusers, this advocate has groomed this community to see him as a hero, not as the abuser he is. He hasRead more
by Christina Enevoldsen When I was sued by my parents for exposing the sexual abuse that was perpetrated on me by my father, my lawyer asked me a question: “How do you if know your memories of sexual abuse are real?” He was defending me against charges of defamation of character and intentional infliction of emotional distress so that wasRead more
by Christina Enevoldsen As much support and love as there is in the community of survivors that gather online, there is a topic that seems to divide us. I’ve rarely witnessed discussion topics that become as hostile as the issue of forgiveness. It’s easy to understand why there would be so much disagreement considering that there are so many definitionsRead more
This is third in a series about reporting sexual abuse. To read from the beginning, click here. by Bethany I never expected that I’d be reporting my sexual abuse. When I was nineteen, I finally shared the secret I’d kept all my life—my dad had sexually abused me for most of my childhood. My parents had recently divorced so theRead more
This is second in a series about reporting sexual abuse. To read from the beginning, click here. by Christina Enevoldsen When I decided to report my dad, I didn’t even know if my sexual abuse, that had happened forty years ago, could be prosecuted. I checked on the Arizona statute of limitations but because of how it’s worded, IRead more
This is first in a series about reporting sexual abuse. To read the next in the series, follow the link at the end of the post. by Christina Enevoldsen When my daughter was in her mid-twenties, she reported her dad for sexual abuse. I cheered that she had made that decision. I supported her throughout the nearly two year ordeal,Read more
New Year’s Day is traditionally a time for a fresh start. There are the usual resolutions and goals that everyone seems optimistic about—the eagerness to leave behind the old and to embrace the new and improved. Until the recent few years, imagining or planning what I wanted to accomplish for the coming year seemed impossible. When I tried to envisionRead more
I like to think of myself as a crusader. The internal image of myself is a fierce woman, charging on horseback toward oppressors, declaring the truth to those they hold bound and inspiring the captives to overthrow the tyrants’ rule. I don’t back down from standing for and with the oppressed. I’d eliminated any residue of abusers from my life,Read more
by Yvonne Ellis I’d finally hit bottom. There was nowhere else to go. The reality I didn’t want to face was now in my face. I’d spent the best part of ten years running away from the pain of my sexual abuse. Finally, at twenty-two years old, my past caught up with me when I had a nervous breakdown andRead more
by Christina Enevoldsen I’d known my dad was getting close to the end. Ever since I’d really been facing my sexual abuse, I’d wondered how I’d deal with his impending death. There’s such a fantasy about deathbed reconciliations. Death makes us consider what’s really important in life—love and the people close to us. After a six year estrangement, I didn’tRead more