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Abuse Survivor Quotes

Browse 47 quotes about Abuse Survivor.

Abuse Survivor Quotes

“Along with the trust issues, one of the hardest parts to deal with is the feeling of not being believed or supported, especially by your own grandparents and extended family. When I have been through so much pain and hurt and have to live with the scars every day, I get angry knowing that others think it is all made up or they brush it off because my cousin was a teenager. I was ten when I was first sexually abused by my cousin, and a majority of my relatives have taken the perpetrator's side. I have cried many times about everything and how my relatives gave no support or love to me as a kid when this all came out. Not one relative ever came up to that innocent little girl I was and said "I am sorry for what you went through" or "I am here for you." Instead they said hurtful things: "Oh he was young." "That is what kids do." "It is not like he was some older man you didn't know." Why does age make a difference? It is a sick way of thinking. Sexual abuse is sexual abuse. What is wrong with this picture? It brings tears to my eyes the way my relatives have reacted to this and cannot accept the truth. Denial is where they would rather stay.”

FamilyIssuesTrustDenialSurvivorSexual AbuseRapeTriggersDisbeliefCopingChild Sexual AbuseIncestDisclosureDysfunctional FamilySociety DenialDysfunctional FamiliesChild RapeChild Sexual Abuse SurvivorAbuse SurvivorMolestationMinimizationLack Of SupportPedophile ProtectorsMolestMolested
Book:Living for Today: From Incest and Molestation to Fearlessness and Forgiveness
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“I lived through this horror, and no one can tell me I have to stay quiet. "I have been silenced long enough, and I will not allow that family to silence me again. I will continue to speak out and make sure my voice is heard.”

InspirationalEmpowermentRapeRape CultureTriggerAbuse SurvivorChild Abuse SurvivorSpeak Out
Book:Living for Today: From Incest and Molestation to Fearlessness and Forgiveness
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“Being in a state of denial is a universally human response to situations which threaten to overwhelm. People who were abused as children sometimes carry their denial like precious cargo without a port of destination. It enabled us to survive our childhood experiences, and often we still live in survival mode decades beyond the actual abuse. We protect ourselves to excess because we learned abruptly and painfully that no one else would.”

SecretPsychologySurvivalVictimTraumaProtectionDefenseDenialSurvivorChild AbuseRepressionSelf ProtectionAbuse SurvivorDefense MechanismTraumatic StressTraumatic MemoriesSecret History
Book:Becoming One: A Story of Triumph Over Dissociative Identity Disorder
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“So is that a yes,' the sheriff asked. Daniel held his breath. The lawsuit, the cost of bail, these were enough to push Clyde into the zone. The world stopped on Rita's next breath. A single assertion could end this mess--protective custody; the sheriff would shield Daniel from Clyde's wrath. 'No,' Rita said in a steady strong voice. 'My husband does not abuse us.' The lie kicked Daniel as hard as Clyde's boot.”

MagicUrban FantasyWizardsFantasy FictionEpic FantasyAbusive ParentsAbuse SurvivorPortal FantasyAlternate RealityAbused Child
Book:Awakenings
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“While a psychiatric diagnosis can serve a purpose in treatment plans, it should not become a tool to discredit a person's disclosure of abuse.”

Mental IllnessPtsdSurvivorsDisclosureDiscreditMental Health StigmaSurvivors Of AbuseAbuse SurvivorMental DisordersMental Illness StigmaPsychiatric DisordersDisclosing
Book:Violence and Abuse Issues: Cross-Cultural Perspectives for Health and Social Services
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“Warm, buttery sunlight through the leaves, setting them glowing like rubies and citrines. The damp, earthen scent of rotting things beneath the leaves and roots she lay upon. Had been thrown and left upon. Everything hurt. Everything. She couldn't move. Couldn't do anything but watch the sun drift through the rich canopy far overhead, listen to the wind between the silvery trunks. And the centre of that pain, radiating outward like living fire with each uneven, rasping breath... Light, steady steps crunched on the leaves. Six sets. A border guard, a patrol. Help. Someone to help- A male voice, foreign and deep, swore. Then went silent. Went silent as a single pair of steps approached. She couldn't turn her head, couldn't bear the agony. Could do nothing but inhale each wet, shuddering breath. 'Don't touch her.' Those steps stopped. It was not a warning to protect her. Defend her. She knew the voice that spoke. Had dreaded hearing it. She felt him approach now. Felt each reverberation in the leaves, the moss, the roots. As if the very land shuddered before him. 'No one touches her,' he said. Eris. 'The moment we do, she's our responsibility.' Cold, unfeeling words. 'But- but they nailed a-' 'No one touches her.' Nailed. They had spiked nails into her. Had pinned her down as she screamed, pinned her down as she roared at them, then begged them. And then they had taken out those long, brutal iron nails. And the hammer. Three of them. Three strikes of the hammer, drowned out by her screaming, by the pain. She began shaking, hating it as much as she'd hated the begging. Her body bellowed in agony, those nails in her abdomen relentless. A pale, beautiful face appeared above her, blocking out the jewel-like leaves above. Unmoved. Impassive. 'I take it you do not wish to live here, Morrigan.' She would rather die here, bleed out here. She would rather die and return- return as something wicked and cruel, and shred them all apart. He must have read it in her eyes. A small smile curved her lips. 'I thought so.' Eris straightened, turning. Her fingers curled in the leaves and loamy soil. She wished she could grow claws- grow claws as Rhys could- and rip out that pale throat. But that was not her gift. Her gift... her gift had left her here. Broken and bleeding. Eris took a step away. Someone behind him blurted, 'We can't just leave her to-' 'We can, and we will,' Eris said simply, his pace unfaltering as he strode away. 'She chose to sully herself; her family chose to deal with her like garbage. I have already told them my decision in this matter.' A long pause, crueller than the rest. 'And I am not in the habit of fucking Illyrian leftovers.' She couldn't stop it, then. The tears that slid out, hot and burning. Alone. They would leave her alone here. Her friends did not know where she had gone. She barely knew where she was. 'But-' That dissenting voice cut in again. 'Move out.' There was no dissension after that. And when their steps faded away, then vanished, the silence returned. The sun and the wind and the leaves. The blood and the iron and the soil beneath her nails. The pain.”

AbuseTraumaSarah J MaasInjuredMorA Court Of Frost And StarlightAbuse SurvivorAbusedThe MorriganEris
Book:A Court of Frost and Starlight
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“When I first started to remember specific memories of abuse, I felt like I had a storm cloud over me for about two or three days beforehand. When the memory finally surfaced, I felt like I was alone in a dark cave. I stayed in bed just thinking and crying and eating chocolate. I wrote in my healing journal and talked it out with a friend. I examined what I thought and how I felt and cried some more. It was agonizing. The more issues I faced, the stronger I got. It wasn’t a pleasant process, but I knew it would be over in a few days and I would feel alive again. With each memory, I recovered faster and I had longer and longer breaks in between them. Facing them made me stronger. I was able to see more and more of the truth without it overwhelming me. Even though the memories increased in intensity, it was easier to deal with them.”

Child Sexual AbuseSurvivorsIncestTraumatic ExperiencesRepressed MemoriesAbuse SurvivorRecovered MemoriesFlashbacks
Book:The Rescued Soul: The Writing Journey for the Healing of Incest and Family Betrayal
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“Incest does not occur in a vacuum... Needless to say, incest is not a function of a healthy home. It is important to note that it is not known how much of the traumatic stress reaction or emotional disturbance is caused by the sexual act of incest and how much is caused by the unhealthy, emotionally deprived, neglect-filled home environment that fosters incestuous activity.”

Child Sexual AbuseIncestDysfunctional FamilyDysfunctional FamiliesAbuse Survivor
Book:Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse
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“Imagine the message that sent to my sister and me. A cousin violates us, confesses, and walks away with barely a slap on the wrist. I learned at a young age that if I was ever going to see justice for the wrongs done to me, I had to find it myself.”

InspirationalAwarenessCrimeInjusticeSexual AbuseRapeViolationChild Sexual AbuseIncestRape CultureChild RapeTriggerChild Sexual Abuse SurvivorAbuse SurvivorRape SurvivorJuvenile DelinquencyRape Of A ChildRapedChild Rapist
Book:Living for Today: From Incest and Molestation to Fearlessness and Forgiveness
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“While my sister and I were reminded we did not cause this pain, it was knowing that because we broke our silence about what had been done to us, our parents were hurting. That knowledge was hard on us.”

PainSurvivorSympathyChild AbuseChild Sexual AbuseTriggerAbuse SurvivorEmpathy FamilyPain In Others
Book:Living for Today: From Incest and Molestation to Fearlessness and Forgiveness
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“At times I am flabbergasted that my memory is considered false and my alcoholic father's memory is considered rational and sane. Am I not believed because I am a woman? If Peter Freyd were a man who lived in my neighborhood during my childhood instead of my father, would he and his wife be so believable? If not, what is it about his status as my father that makes him more credible?”

SexismSurvivorPatriarchyEmotional AbuseStigmaChild Sexual AbuseIncestRape CultureSociety DenialGender StereotypesGender InequalitySurvivors Of AbuseFalse MemoriesGender BiasChild Sexual Abuse SurvivorAbuse SurvivorFalse MemoryFalse Memory Syndrome FoundationFalse Memory SyndromeParental AbuseRape Of A ChildParental AuthorityFalse Memory MythCrazy MakingFalse Memory Syndrome CampaignGender Inequality QuotesFalse Memory Syndrome Society
Author:Jennifer J. Freyd
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“Victims”, by definition, are those that have just experienced a trauma of some sort. They are going through an entire array of emotions and circumstances that are happening to them internally and/or externally. They are trying to wrap their mind around what just happened to them. They are trying to regain some sort of balance in their mind. They feel violated, cheated, confused, scared, insecure, ashamed, guilty, impotent and at a loss for words/actions/thoughts. Many times, they even feel numb and in shock. Their mind is in a state of crisis and chaos. They are in the “victim stage”. They are truly a “victim” by definition.”

VictimScaredGuiltyConfusedAshamedDrugsInsecureCheatedVictimhoodTraumatizedVictim MentalityAbuse SurvivorAbusedVictimizedRape VictimAn Encouraging Role ModelBy DefinitionRape VivtimsReadiedUsing Crutches I E AlcoholVictims Victims
Book:Victims and Survivors
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“Controlling my environment was still a compelling need for me. I did everything I could to not be surprised by anything... Looking back, I think that my need to predict how my day was going to unfold was a direct response to the amount of chaos in my childhood.”

Complex PtsdControllingAbuse SurvivorChild Abuse SurvivorEffects Of Child AbuseControlling OthersAbusive ChildhoodNeed For Control
Book:The Sum of My Parts: A Survivor's Story of Dissociative Identity Disorder
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“When I deny the seriousness of my abuse I agree with my abuser and those who wouldn't acknowledge it. When I am in denial, I have the tendency to minimize my abuse, believe the lies others have said, as well as deny it ever happened. It is important for me to remember as much detail as I can so I can trust my own perceptions of what really happened and not depend on the validations from others.”

HealingTrustPerceptionAbuseDenyRecoveryDenialSurvivorChild AbuseAbuse SurvivorMinimise
Author:Patty Hite
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“[On a violent encounter with a boyfriend] Before I’ve even blinked, he’s snatched both my wrists, gripping them tightly together whilst dragging me back into the room. [...] I sense utter madness, blind rage and a very practiced hand, and decide with a calmness that is necessary for survival not to make a sound. Not to move a muscle. I go completely limp and acquiesce. You don’t argue with crazy. And I don’t want to give him one tiny reason to beat me to a pulp.”

Abuse SurvivorsSurvival InstinctCrazy PeopleAbuse SurvivorAbuse Sexual Abuse
Book:Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys
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“It was early in my career, and I had been seeing Mary, a shy, lonely, and physically collapsed young woman, for about three months in weekly psychotherapy, dealing with the ravages of her terrible history of early abuse. One day I opened the door to my waiting room and saw her standing there provocatively, dressed in a miniskirt, her hair dyed flaming red, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a snarl on her face. “You must be Dr. van der Kolk,” she said. “My name is Jane, and I came to warn you not to believe any the lies that Mary has been telling you. Can I come in and tell you about her?” I was stunned but fortunately kept myself from confronting “Jane” and instead heard her out. Over the course of our session I met not only Jane but also a hurt little girl and an angry male adolescent. That was the beginning of a long and productive treatment.”

LyingDenialDissociative Identity DisorderSurvivorsMultiple Personality DisorderLiarMultiple PersonalitiesDissociativeAbuse SurvivorRecantRetractPyschotherapy
Book:The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
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“What's wrong?' Nesta pressed. Emerie's eyes turned bleak. 'It's... I swear, I can hear my father yelling down here.' Her hands trembled as she lifted one to brush a stand of hair behind an ear. 'I can hear him screaming at me, can hear the furniture breaking...' Nesta's blood went cold. She whipped her head to the downward slope to their right. No darkness lurked there, but they were low enough... 'This place is ancient and strange.' she said, even as she processed what Emerie had admitted. She had never spoken of her father beyond the wing clipping. But Nesta had gathered enough: the man had been a beast like Tomas Mandray's father. 'Let's go up a level, where the darkness doesn't whisper so loudly. I'm sure Gwyn will find us easily enough.”

DarknessAbuseTraumaSarah J MaasNesta ArcheronNestaA Court Of Silver FlamesAbuse SurvivorGwyneth BerdaraEmerie
Book:A ​Court of Silver Flames
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