I decided to take a stroll in my neighborhood,I was taking selfies when suddenly a man came out of nowhere holding a knife in his hand…my heart skipped a beat, I stood there staring at him wondering what to do next, he asked me to give him the phone I was holding in my arms and to give him money if I had any….I gave him everything and begged him not to hurt me but instead he grabbed my waist, I tried to scream but no sound came out…. He threatened me not to make any sound or he was going to stab me…
I just stood there, and watched him use me to his satisfaction and he left…..it was traumatic and even to date, I have never shared my experience with anyone.
— Survivor, age 20
Dear survivor – thank you SO much for sharing your story here. Of course what happened to you was traumatic! But it was not your fault. It doesn’t matter if the scream didn’t come out or “you just stood there”. Freezing is a much more common response to trauma than most people realize. You did the most important thing – you survived.
I would encourage you to share your story further. At the very least I hope that you can talk to a therapist or a counselor about what happened. It can be so heavy to carry this on your own and you deserve to heal from it. I believe you can do it and I *know* you deserve it. You might also consider telling a friend or family member that you trust who can give you love and support as you heal from this. Sending you light and love, Alexis