 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. Elizabeth Founder of EmpowerSurvivors www.EmpowerSurvivors.net
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 EmpowerSurvivors- The Beginning  Elizabeth Sullivan, Founder/ CEO I just couldn’t believe that the pain of childhood sexual abuse that I had pushed so far back in my mind could come back with such vengeance. The flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, hypervigilance, nightmares, and suicidal thoughts seemed to take over my life and I thought I was losing my mind. I didn’t know who I could tell, who I could trust, and I was fearful of anyone finding out about this "secret" I had kept for decades. I feared things I did not understand and wore the cloak of shame and blame so tight around me that the thought of telling anyone of my childhood molestation and rape made me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually sick. I was stuck in a world of negative voices, isolation, and mistrust, and I felt as though my life was over. I wondered how reprehensible abuse could be happening to children at epidemic levels and no one was talking about it. I wondered how I could go a lifetime not realizing how unprocessed trauma had affected my life. I wondered how I could go through life thinking I was damaged goods, dirty, and not good enough, and why when I finally did break my silence no one was there to support me or others abused as children. I just couldn’t accept the silence, the lack of education and support, and the blame put on survivors of this crime. So I began not only my healing journey but the beginnings of EmpowerSurvivors.” - Elizabeth Sullivan EmpowerSurvivors was created and founded by Elizabeth Sullivan in 2014. It was during her healing journey that she realized survivors needed an organization that would provide safe spaces of healing and support. Along with the safe spaces, Elizabeth knew that it was equally important to provide resources and education, so survivors could better understand their healing journey and how the child abuse that happened to them so many years ago, could manifest itself into every fiber of their being. EmpowerSurvivors Today Today, EmpowerSurvivors is a peer-led 501c3 charitable non-profit organization based in Stillwater, MN, and run and operated by adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. EmpowerSurvivors supports survivors locally, nationally, and worldwide. We believe in uniting our voices, supporting survivors on their healing journeys, educating communities, and reducing the adverse childhood experiences that affect not only the survivor but their families, society, and institutions. EmpowerSurvivors Work In the past 10 years, we have had the incredible privilege of :
What EmpowerSurvivors Offers
Meet Our Board Gabbie Belisle, Kelly Geiger, Jennifer Kindera, and Elizabeth Sullivan EmpowerSurvivors board members work together and meet monthly to fulfill our mission of helping survivors heal from the trauma of sexual abuse. Find out More!
www.EmpowerSurvivors.net [email protected] Donate today! www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NVMS538GZ6U2G |
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