If You Are Going Through Hell, Keep Going- Winston Churchill
As survivors, we have known darkness, betrayal, lies, injustice, and cruelty, and may have encountered the devil himself.
As survivors, we may have struggled with triggers, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, depersonalization, dissociation, nightmares, anxiety, mental health issues, physical issues, relational issues, attachment, and more.
As survivors, we may have questioned our healing journey and wondered if we would ever feel “normal”, ever feel empowered, or ever get our life back.

As survivors, we may have found that the people we love the most did not support us when we finally broke our silence of abuse and began our healing journeys. This may have been so devastating that we questioned our worth, minds, or will to survive. How do we find worth in ourselves when it appears those we thought would be our biggest heroes only fastened the rope of despair tighter around our throats?
As survivors we may have tried to drink ourselves into oblivion, drugged ourselves to numb the pain, tried to kill ourselves, or spent years in isolation.

Somewhere in all of this, we managed to survive, put one foot in front of the other, and kept on going even with the screaming in our minds that said, “ I can’t do this anymore!”

The healing journey is messy, painful, and many times lonely. We may feel that healing will never happen or that we will not survive the process. We may not see our progress or feel things are moving fast enough.
Healing takes time, perseverance, a learning of ourselves, and a de-shedding of all the lies we took in as a result of the abuse. The lies that told us we weren't good enough, we were damaged goods, not worthy, better off dead and hopeless.
Healing can come in glimpses. It begins as a very small speckle of light in a very dark place.

As we go through this process of healing with love and support that light will begin to grow and spread.
In healing, we will begin to connect to that little one inside that we may have avoided for so long. This little one that had no one, needed shelter and protection. This little one that just needed to be seen and heard.

As we begin to hold this little one in love rather than judgment we begin to understand that this little one was not at fault. Our thinking may become more clear and we begin to shed the shame and blame that we have carried for so long. By accepting this little one we begin to accept ourselves and care for ourselves as we deserved all along. We begin to honor ourselves, see our worth, and be our own true heroes.

If you are a survivor things do get better. This may not feel true now but in time it will. You will never forget all that was done to you but the wounds will begin to heal. Right now just allow yourself the grace you deserve, allow yourself to rest, allow yourself forgiveness, and allow yourself to take as long as you need to heal and when you feel like you are in the deepest part of hell, keep going.
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Elizabeth
Founder of EmpowerSurvivors
www.EmpowerSurvivors.net

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• Online Facebook peer groups
  
• Zoom Peer Support Groups
  
• Conversations with Elizabeth Podcast 
  
• Peer- to Peer Mentorship
  
• Partner/family education
  
• Classes on Mental health education, meditation, childhood trauma, healing & wellness
  
• Trauma Leadership Network
  

Meet Our Board​

Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of survivors of childhood sexual abuse? EmpowerSurvivors nonprofit is currently seeking passionate and dedicated volunteers to join our board and help further our mission. As a board member, you will be responsible for overseeing the organization's operations, supporting the executive director, fundraising, and spreading the news about their services and mission. 
If you have a loving heart for others, believe in our mission, and possess the necessary skills to work in a nonprofit setting, EmpowerSurvivors would love for you to apply. We are looking for individuals who can work well with others, have a sense of humor, and are hard-working, responsible, dedicated, and committed to ensuring the organization's success.

If you're interested, please submit a cover letter, resume, and a short description of why you would make a great board member to EmpowerSurvivors at: [email protected]. The board meets on the second Thursday of every month at 4:30 pm Central time. Join the EmpowerSurvivors nonprofit board and help make a difference in someone's healing journey today!

Conversations with Elizabeth is Back!!!
Join us from the comfort of your own home via Zoom as we introduce special guests and topics that are sure to be of interest. Elizabeth will help you feel relaxed and supported in this interactive Zoom program that discusses issues related to healing, wellness, mental health, and more!
Registration is Free,  join us, Via Zoom!
6:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Eastern
5:00 PM Mountain
4:00 PM Pacific
This program is recorded. Participants are able to turn off video and change name to protect individual privacy. Upcoming Guests!Monday, March 18 2024
Guest: Donna Bulatowicz
Donna is a survivor of CSA and will share her story of abuse and recovery.
Register Today!
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtf-yupjgiHtK4orSZ5jL9Cdb64iRKfNbt

Monday, April 15, 2024
Guest: Brinn Langdale
Brinn will take us through her story of abuse and recovery and is currently working on publishing her memoir and bringing resources like inner child meditations, free guides, and educational videos to other survivors.
​Register Today!
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUucOigrj8tHtNBn_I2BgwN1cbsJtRVmyJe

Monday, May 13, 2024
Guest: Alice Perle
Join in this discussion as Alice shares her personal story of sibling childhood sexual abuse and her new book, Resolve.
Resolve is an intimate, wild ride from darkness and confusion to triumphant self-determination and inner peace. Living with a dark secret inside her, Alice Perle has overcome many obstacles on her path to healing in the shadow of sibling sexual abuse. Needing to understand her experiences at a deeper level, Alice’s personal story is interwoven with her fascinating explorations of societal and intergenerational factors. Resolve showcases an eclectic approach to healing that helped Alice reclaim her true self, freeing her to create a bright, joyous, peaceful life. Respectfully and sensitively written, Resolve is infused with hope and optimism. It is an inspiring story, offering us an intriguing window into one woman’s experience recovering from sibling sexual abuse—the hidden taboo
​Register Today!
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwocOCopz4vG93F-PzQ-9OPMOULkHe1rb18

New Facebook Networking Group in 2024!!!
The Trauma Leadership Network is a group specifically designed to support survivors of childhood sexual abuse who are now using their experiences and knowledge to aid others on their healing journeys.
    This networking group will enable participants in leadership roles to gather support, share resources, share ideas, collaborate on projects, suggest ideas, ask questions, partner on projects, etc.
    If you are someone who has experienced childhood sexual abuse and is now aiding others in recovery we invite you to join this newly established group.
    Cost: Free
www.facebook.com/groups/780055763970306

  Finding Confidence and Healing through Inner Child and Inner Family Work
Cost: Free
Join, us via Zoom, as Elizabeth welcomes Asha Lightbearer, a seasoned alchemical hypnotherapist and psychic energy healer. Asha is a CSA survivor who has been helping clients find their confidence and reclaim their lives for over two decades. Her sessions are engaging and transformative, filled with imaginative healing techniques like inner child and shadow work, persona posturing, and more.
Register via Zoom
 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrde6upzgjGdKta0Knw89b3p2fRTUerDjO​

​Conversations with Elizabeth is a program provided by EmpowerSurvivors, a nonprofit organization that helps survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. In this interactive program, Elizabeth will introduce conversation starters and discuss issues of interest for survivors. The program is recorded and added to the EmpowerSurvivors YouTube channel. Participants can turn off the video and change their names to protect their privacy.
If you would like to know more about EmpowerSurvivors, our mission, and our programs, please visit our website at https://www.empowersurvivors.net/.

EmpowerSurvivors is offering a new peer-led Zoom support group for individuals looking for peer support and healing from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. Gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences, build understanding and awareness, and connect with others. The group is led by a trained leader with lived experience. Meetings are 90 minutes long. Running from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm ( central time). This group meets for 8 Thursdays beginning, Thursday, February 1, 2024, and ending Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Cost for 8 weeks: $45.00 ( non-refundable)

Class size- up to10 participants

Facilitator: Elizabeth Sullivan

Register at: [email protected]
(Please write " February Zoom Peer Support" in the subject line. Zoom links will be sent after connecting with the facilitator, registering, and payments made.

Group Guidelines:
1) We ask all participants to enter the Zoom online group 5 minutes before the group starts.
2) What is said in the group, stays in the group.
3) All participants are expected to treat all participants with kindness, respect, and a supportive attitude. Violators will result in expulsion from the group.
4) All participants are responsible for self-care, triggers, and seeking a mental health specialist if in crisis.
5) While in the meeting all participants are asked to protect group privacy by not having any persons outside of the group in hearing distance. Participants can use headphones.

Want to learn more about the EmpowerSurvivors organization?
Feel free to visit our website at: www.EmpowerSurvivors.net

                             The Power of YOU is a collection of written stories by survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
EmpowerSurvivors believes that by sharing our stories of childhood sexual abuse and recovery we begin to lose the grip shame can have on us.
It is also a way to reach other survivors who may be living in silence and have never heard someone else's story of abuse, healing, and wellness.

Share your story by submitting up to a one-page entry ( 500 words) that includes an overview of your experience of childhood sexual abuse, the recovery process, and healing. Entries can remain anonymous.
Entries can be emailed to Elizabeth Sullivan at [email protected]
EmpowerSurvivors ( www.EmpowerSurvivors.net ) will not alter your story in any way and will publish it exactly as you submitted it.

For me, it was my stepfather. He had lived with us since I was two years old. I grew up with physical, emotional/mental, and sexual abuse from the age of 7 or 8. Some memories are still surfacing. My stepfather was a raging alcoholic. A Jekyll and Hyde type of guy. I walked on eggshells my whole life. He started molesting me after my brother went into the Navy. He knew I had no one to protect me anymore. I never told anyone about the molestation because they wouldn’t do anything about it. I knew this because even though they knew about the physical abuse, they didn’t do anything about that either. No one called the police or reported it in any way. Ever.

He continued until I was 18 and went to college. I went as far away as I could, which was only a couple of hours away, but it was far enough. I then turned to alcohol, drugs, and sex but didn’t know why. I would get so angry when I got drunk that I would want to fight. I was raped while in college and it was one of those nights, so I blamed myself. I lost friends but those who stuck by me are still in my life today. I realized that I was suppressing a lifetime of hurt and abuse and that was the only coping mechanism I knew. I eventually met a good man and settled down, stopped drinking and drugs, got married, and had two boys. The best thing that happened to me was meeting my husband. I am so grateful for him and my two boys. They are the reason I live.  

I fought the healing process every day until I got so bad with depression that I found myself on my knees praying for God to do something, anything to stop the pain. I prayed for him to take me. That was the moment I decided I needed to start therapy. I started going and found a great therapist, but she wasn’t equipped to deal with trauma, so she referred me to a colleague of hers. This was the best move I ever made. I have come so far in my healing, one, because I found a great trauma therapist, and two, because I allowed myself to start feeling and letting people in. That vulnerability is something I still work on today. 
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I have had some bad downs, but I have always found my way back up with the support of a select few, my therapist  and this group. This group has been a lifeline and helped me grow not just in the support of others but with the education that is shared here as well. I am so grateful for all the positives in my life and for the path that has brought me here. I used to worry that I didn’t have a purpose here on earth, but I think mine is the journey. All the hard work is worth it. And it is hard, but if you keep with it and really practice your tools, you can move through the healing process and one day see just how far you have come.

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