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Showing posts with the label Rape

What Do You Say When You Don't Know What to Say?

TW: Mention of suicide, self-harm, rape, and abuse

Come Along with a CSA Survivor to a Smear Planning Appointment: a Vlog by Aimee Wilson

Trigger / content warning: mention of child sexual abuse and rape This post is inspired by a recent video blog by my friend and fellow mental health blogger Aimee Wilson. The twelve minute video is titled “Come along with a CSA survivor to a smear planning appointment with Northumbria NHS Gynae.” As well as showcasing the video itself, I want to share my response to it and why I feel this is such an important topic. What’s it About? Here’s what the vlog is about in Aimee’s own words. Being a CSA [ child sexual abuse ] survivor, I have had to meet with Gynae to discuss having my smear test under a general anaesthetic. I filmed this vlog to provide advice and empathy to other survivors and to bring insight to those who judge people for struggling with this procedure. Don’t judge a person’s journey when you haven’t walked in their shoes! It’s characteristic of Aimee to share her lived experience in the hope it might inform and help other people. To note, the video covers Aim...

I Believe You. It wasn't Your Fault. You Are not Alone. Being There for a Friend Who's Survived Rape or Sexual Abuse

TW: Mention of rape and sexual abuse

Q&A with Aimee Wilson, Founder of Shake My Hand, the Media Campaign for Survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse

TW: Mention of rape and sexual abuse.

The Ostrich Egg: My Journey to Mental Wealth

By Lea It is only when we lose what we had that we realise just what we had. This is true in different elements of life. Sadly, this year it was true for me when it came to my Mental Wealth. Between the ages of seven to twenty-two my Mental Wealth was lost, eaten alive and consumed by a range of people, from bullies at school, to the lack of trust shown by professionals who had the training to know better, and others. All this in addition to a rough deck of cards life had thrown my way. Over those years, though, I was fortunate to spend a twenty-four week admission to The Crisis Recovery Unit, a specialist unit which was part of The Maudsley Hospital, which specialised in attempting to reach those for whom self-injury had become a coping mechanism. I guess the best analogy I can make is that my body, my life, my experiences, my emotions were like an ostrich egg. The staff at the CRU chipped away slowly and methodically to break down the barriers I had put up as an act of self-...