Therapy
Reading
Sharing with a trusted friend
Leaving an abusive relationship
Sharing about the rape with a brother and sister
Moving in with brother and accepting some of the support he offers
Allowing time and space to heal
Sharing with more friends
Finding a job in WI
Going to Al-Anon and sharing
Joining the 100 days of self love challenge on social media
Finding 100 things about self to love
Waking up every day for 100 days and having a majority of first thoughts be about what to share about what I love about me
Getting really positive feedback on the sharing
Moving past the 100 days and going for a full year
Walking daily in good weather with Shaggy
Trying to take up running again
Buying and reading some of Why Does he Do That
Calling RAINN to find a local Sexual Assault Advocate
Calling and setting up a meeting with the local Sexual Assault Advocate
Going to the meeting with the Sexual Assault Advocate
Setting up a fundraising page for RAINN
Getting surprise support for fundraising page for RAINN
Getting a lot of support for fundraising page
Internet research about rape and healing
Posting fanatically on social media – memes, articles, cat memes
Getting angry and reactive with people who do not understand and say insensitive things
Continuing to work with Sexual Assault Advocate
Eating healthy for three months
Eating a chocolate Easter bunny and just deciding that this is the “eat” portion of recovery, the praying and love will come later
Reading more
Buying a laptop
Sitting down one day and just letting the story come out
Being told about a therapist that also teaches yoga
Taking the yoga class to see if the therapist would be a good fit
Auditioning for the Vagina Monologues
Being cast to perform “Reclaiming Cunt”
Going to yoga class
Telling the audience at the Vagina Monologues that I was rising because the jury acquitted the man who raped me
Walking with Shaggy
Getting reactive to a friend reposting and making a comment about a meme I posted, and calling him instead of escalating into something worse
Spending time with Mom
Eating healthy again
Taking an acting class in the cities and commuting 2 hours each way for several weeks
Attending the Actor Expo and improv show
Being uncomfortable with the sexual jokes in the improve show but marking it as a test for the upcoming years to gauge healing
Ambushing a college friend after the improv show and having a refreshing conversation with an old friend
Meeting with a former co-worker to hang out and enjoy an improv show that included the ambushed college friend
Making a new friend of someone I went to college with who I thought despised me, but found out I was wrong about
Making plans to move to the city and be on my own
Being a part of group therapy created by my Sexual Assault Advocate
Being inspired and an inspiration to my fellow survivors
Attending a Take Back the Night Rally in River Falls, WI
Doing more and more on my own
Taking a leadership seminar and forcing myself to stand up and share
Finding a place to live in St. Paul
Going through all the hoops to get approved for the apartment
Moving
Being terrified and doing it anyway
Getting a job at the theatre I used to work at part time
Getting a job through a temp agency that would help me rebuild my life
Re-connecting with friends
Putting one foot in front of the other despite the fear and anxiety
Having faith that I was on the right path and would not let rape destroy me
Reading more and more
Sleeping when I needed to
Allowing those days when I just couldn’t
Taking a second leadership seminar and finding my heart
Joining a church that ultimately was a mistake but allowed me to share with more people and have some support
Taking acting classes again
Building a friendship with my acting teacher
Going to a women’s writing retreat and sharing with all the women the story that I had written by campfire and getting huge amounts of support and encouragement
Going to a group therapy for survivors of sexual assault in St. Paul
Being told I should focus on me before I try to help others
Organizing and getting support to hold a One Billion Rising event
Doing the Vagina Monologues for a second year, performing “My Short Skirt”
Networking in the film industry
Auditioning and not getting the part, but being recommended for a part based on that audition
Auditioning at a coffee shop, by the drive thru area and being fully committed and getting the part
Reading The Body Keeps the Score and learning about internal family systems and EMDR among many other things
Reviewing the leadership course
Reconnecting with another college friend and finding a warrior sister in her
Finding friendships through acting classes
Sharing with people, being open about what happened to me
Telling my Mom about it, getting the help of a friend to find the courage to do so
Attending and speaking at a Take Back the Night Rally in Rice Lake, WI
Visiting my Mom as often as I could
Finding an IFS therapist
Always self examining and trying to figure out what was real and what was a coping mechanism gone awry
Getting rid of my car to take the bus to conquer my fear of walking alone
Slowly decreasing the fear of walking alone
Facing my fears with shaky legs and pounding heart
Attending the writing retreat and making plans to create a blog
Writing when it felt right
Talking to people
Meeting a wonderful author and sharing my story and gaining a friend
Taking improv classes
Attending a rained out march
Starting my blog and getting support
Looking for places that could help me or where I could help out
Trying to become an advocate but realizing I was nowhere healed enough to do so
Continuing to write and post to my blog
Sharing at the retreats and getting wonderful support and guidance and having enough written to have a book
Deciding with my therapist that it was time that I could do EMDR therapy
Doing EMDR therapy
Being able to relax finally
Getting a membership at a massage therapist for touch therapy
Going to a chiropractor
Going to the dentist
Going to an Ayurvedic practitioner
Remembering to laugh
Watching movies
Remembering how to enjoy life
Trying to connect with people from my past who I admired and missed
Walking
Acting when I felt I was able to
Reading
Journaling
Listening to music
Finding fun ways to work out
Trying and failing, but not giving up
Rearranging my studio when I needed a change
Creating a safe sanctuary for myself
Continuing to reconnect with people and build a support network
Decreasing contact with people who were not able to support me
Fundraising for the Break the Silence Memorial and finding a wonderful ally
Having the knowledge that my speaking helps others
Faith
Hope
Trust
Love
Tenacity
Determination
Laughter
Joy
Diminishing Rape Part XIII – Stepping Stones
Therapy
Reading
Sharing with a trusted friend
Leaving an abusive relationship
Sharing about the rape with a brother and sister
Moving in with brother and accepting some of the support he offers
Allowing time and space to heal
Sharing with more friends
Finding a job in WI
Going to Al-Anon and sharing
Joining the 100 days of self love challenge on social media
Finding 100 things about self to love
Waking up every day for 100 days and having a majority of first thoughts be about what to share about what I love about me
Getting really positive feedback on the sharing
Moving past the 100 days and going for a full year
Walking daily in good weather with Shaggy
Trying to take up running again
Buying and reading some of Why Does he Do That
Calling RAINN to find a local Sexual Assault Advocate
Calling and setting up a meeting with the local Sexual Assault Advocate
Going to the meeting with the Sexual Assault Advocate
Setting up a fundraising page for RAINN
Getting surprise support for fundraising page for RAINN
Getting a lot of support for fundraising page
Internet research about rape and healing
Posting fanatically on social media – memes, articles, cat memes
Getting angry and reactive with people who do not understand and say insensitive things
Continuing to work with Sexual Assault Advocate
Eating healthy for three months
Eating a chocolate Easter bunny and just deciding that this is the “eat” portion of recovery, the praying and love will come later
Reading more
Buying a laptop
Sitting down one day and just letting the story come out
Being told about a therapist that also teaches yoga
Taking the yoga class to see if the therapist would be a good fit
Auditioning for the Vagina Monologues
Being cast to perform “Reclaiming Cunt”
Going to yoga class
Telling the audience at the Vagina Monologues that I was rising because the jury acquitted the man who raped me
Walking with Shaggy
Getting reactive to a friend reposting and making a comment about a meme I posted, and calling him instead of escalating into something worse
Spending time with Mom
Eating healthy again
Taking an acting class in the cities and commuting 2 hours each way for several weeks
Attending the Actor Expo and improv show
Being uncomfortable with the sexual jokes in the improve show but marking it as a test for the upcoming years to gauge healing
Ambushing a college friend after the improv show and having a refreshing conversation with an old friend
Meeting with a former co-worker to hang out and enjoy an improv show that included the ambushed college friend
Making a new friend of someone I went to college with who I thought despised me, but found out I was wrong about
Making plans to move to the city and be on my own
Being a part of group therapy created by my Sexual Assault Advocate
Being inspired and an inspiration to my fellow survivors
Attending a Take Back the Night Rally in River Falls, WI
Doing more and more on my own
Taking a leadership seminar and forcing myself to stand up and share
Finding a place to live in St. Paul
Going through all the hoops to get approved for the apartment
Moving
Being terrified and doing it anyway
Getting a job at the theatre I used to work at part time
Getting a job through a temp agency that would help me rebuild my life
Re-connecting with friends
Putting one foot in front of the other despite the fear and anxiety
Having faith that I was on the right path and would not let rape destroy me
Reading more and more
Sleeping when I needed to
Allowing those days when I just couldn’t
Taking a second leadership seminar and finding my heart
Joining a church that ultimately was a mistake but allowed me to share with more people and have some support
Taking acting classes again
Building a friendship with my acting teacher
Going to a women’s writing retreat and sharing with all the women the story that I had written by campfire and getting huge amounts of support and encouragement
Going to a group therapy for survivors of sexual assault in St. Paul
Being told I should focus on me before I try to help others
Organizing and getting support to hold a One Billion Rising event
Doing the Vagina Monologues for a second year, performing “My Short Skirt”
Networking in the film industry
Auditioning and not getting the part, but being recommended for a part based on that audition
Auditioning at a coffee shop, by the drive thru area and being fully committed and getting the part
Reading The Body Keeps the Score and learning about internal family systems and EMDR among many other things
Reviewing the leadership course
Reconnecting with another college friend and finding a warrior sister in her
Finding friendships through acting classes
Sharing with people, being open about what happened to me
Telling my Mom about it, getting the help of a friend to find the courage to do so
Attending and speaking at a Take Back the Night Rally in Rice Lake, WI
Visiting my Mom as often as I could
Finding an IFS therapist
Always self examining and trying to figure out what was real and what was a coping mechanism gone awry
Getting rid of my car to take the bus to conquer my fear of walking alone
Slowly decreasing the fear of walking alone
Facing my fears with shaky legs and pounding heart
Attending the writing retreat and making plans to create a blog
Writing when it felt right
Talking to people
Meeting a wonderful author and sharing my story and gaining a friend
Taking improv classes
Attending a rained out march
Starting my blog and getting support
Looking for places that could help me or where I could help out
Trying to become an advocate but realizing I was nowhere healed enough to do so
Continuing to write and post to my blog
Sharing at the retreats and getting wonderful support and guidance and having enough written to have a book
Deciding with my therapist that it was time that I could do EMDR therapy
Doing EMDR therapy
Being able to relax finally
Getting a membership at a massage therapist for touch therapy
Going to a chiropractor
Going to the dentist
Going to an Ayurvedic practitioner
Remembering to laugh
Watching movies
Remembering how to enjoy life
Trying to connect with people from my past who I admired and missed
Walking
Acting when I felt I was able to
Reading
Journaling
Listening to music
Finding fun ways to work out
Trying and failing, but not giving up
Rearranging my studio when I needed a change
Creating a safe sanctuary for myself
Continuing to reconnect with people and build a support network
Decreasing contact with people who were not able to support me
Fundraising for the Break the Silence Memorial and finding a wonderful ally
Having the knowledge that my speaking helps others
Faith
Hope
Trust
Love
Tenacity
Determination
Laughter
Joy
passion
passion
asifallawakedotcom 