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Healing can definitely mean so many things for each individual. My journey is still a bumpy roller coaster. I am still struggling with self acceptance. I have still been bleeding on people who did not cut me. Ive even hurt many people along the way. I am currently continuing to work diligently on the healing process. Some of my goals for the healing process is to continue to trust God. Continue to do the right things. Work to help others.

My hope to any survivor is that you don’t feel alone, that you recognize that healing is a process that doesn’t have a set time frame. Don't give up.

Keep hope alive inside your heart like the fluttering of a dove, that you know you have always been worth cherishing, that love which does not hurt you is waiting. Hope above all things. Hope always.

I’m STILL healing, and every day is work. It will never completely go away, but seeking help, and working on it every day is how we get there.

If you are an adult who was hit at any time in your childhood - recognize that they believed they were doing so out of love and a desire for you to ‘learn’. They did not realize they were teaching you to believe that you deserve violence committed on your body. They did not realize they were teaching you to consider hitting another person as an act of love (they may have even said, ‘I hit you because I love you’). Forgive them their acquiescence to a cultural error. Forgive your parents. If you hit your kids, stop it. Explain to them that you will no longer assault their bodies. Know that they have come to experience the violence you commit on them as the most immediate and intense form of your love. They will indeed, ‘Ask for it’ with behavior that has resulted in violent attention previously because you have set that up. It will not be easy - just as it is not easy for adults who were hit to recognize the violence as an error..

Remember, healing is not linear. You will have ups and downs, happy days, sad days, angry days, and more, but the overall outcome is healing…don’t give up on the bad days. It is so worth it. I joined the Speak Your Truth Today Facebook Support Group when it was created. While it is awful so many of us have been abused, it is nice to know you're not alone. That there are people that do truly understand. These books were incredibly helpful to me: 1. Codependent No More by Melody Beadie 2. Why Does He Do That? INSIDE THE MINDS OF ANGRY AND CONTROLLING MEN by Lundy Bancroft 3. Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker

Hope reminds me of stars at night because even when the world around you is dark there's always stars above you creating light. You have to look up in order to see the light but it doesn't me it's not there. Just like hope, if you look down it seems like there are no stars but if you look up there's a sky full of them. There's a sky full of hope you just have to look up.

Instead of relying on others, focus on your own abilities, hopes, and dreams. Every day, strive to become a better version of yourself and work towards achieving your goals. With dedication and effort, you can become the person you aspire to be.

I would love to heal from the PTSD I suffer everyday. The flashbacks and feeling of reliving the sexual assault is overbearing majority of my days. I hide it well, but I feel defeated.

I believe you. What’s happening to you is not your fault and you don’t have to live like this.

There’s light at the end of the darkness. Every day you seek healing is a day you may begin to feel a little more whole and a little less broken. It takes time, but don’t give up. We’ve got this!

You deserve to be whole and feel safe in yourself. Even if it’s unbearable right now, I hope you stay with yourself on the way to freedom.

IT WAS NEVER YOUR FAULT. Even though healing can feel so much harder… IT'S SO WORTH IT. I would 100% choose to spend my life with PTSD than to not have left.

There is always hope. When you are in it there will seem like there is no hope. Keep having faith that things will change. The important part is continuing to do the right things right. The Best is Yet to Come.

“Every victim should have the opportunity to become a survivor,”

Healing is an ever-changing and ongoing process. No process is the same for each survivor. For me, it has been the steadfast support of my husband, mother, brother and sister-in-law that has helped me face my ongoing process. Support is crucial for healing, regardless of the form it comes in. Healing also needs a lot of self-care to help someone through the process. That can be anything from counseling, to body wellness and massage, to my personal favorite of reading "brain candy" fantasy romance novels each night that let my mind escape safely into another universe. Each day it gets a little easier to function and work towards my goals in my healing process, and I know that some days will be easier than others. The "trick" to healing is to forgive yourself if old behaviors surface, because they will during the healing process. Remember, your human. Its ok not to be ok every single day. You'll get there, in whatever form that looks like to you.

You are allowed to feel whatever you are feeling, and it wasn't your fault.

Healing is a process that involves regaining the power to focus on what we can do instead of what we can't. It's a journey that requires separating our capabilities from others' involvement in our lives. We need to regain the power to continue making our lives valuable and meaningful for many.

Finding Speak Your Truth Today’s Support Group literally saved me. After my divorce, I was at a lower point than most will ever know. I know for me, having a community of survivors and receiving education, validation, and confirmation has been healing in a way I never thought possible. It can be scary to read, learn, and acknowledge past experiences. Knowing you are not the only one who experienced, can be helpful. The community can give space for survivors to share resources that have helped them along their healing journey. Getting tools and validation is so instrumental for any survivors regardless of being disabled or not.

Healing is a reclamation of self. A restoration of hope and freedom.