Write Like the Wind

After escaping my childhood, I extensively engaged in expressive writing, documenting the various forms of abuse, my fears, uncertainties, and the trauma I experienced, along with the daily struggles of being alive and surviving extreme abuse.

My writing was unstructured and sometimes grammatically incorrect, as its sole purpose was to release pent-up emotions. I recommend trying this approach if you ever feel overwhelmed by emotions and find yourself feeling paralyzed by them. It can be incredibly cathartic. But you can also write your story in more cohesive terms — anything from autobiography and memoir to diaries and journals, as well as oral testimonies and eyewitness accounts…short memoir pieces and personal essays, the possibilities are endless!

In writing about my trauma, I was also acquiring certain life skills that were helping me cope in my day-to-day life. In giving vent to my deep-seated pain and sadness, I was learning to accept them as a part of me. In accepting, I was healing; and, in sharing my story with my readers, I was emerging from my isolation and seeking solidarity.

Victims of sexual violence remain silent because, often, they aren’t believed. But, for example, when my mother wrote her book “ A Prisoner by No Crime of My Own” the response from her readers overwhelmed her- she found strength to keep going.

Like life — and survival — writing follows an organic trajectory where the individual must go from acknowledging one’s pain and defining it to confronting it, through action and words. To overcome one’s trauma is to be able to distance oneself from it, and writing teaches one how to achieve that critical distance.

Try it! Even 5 mins a day will help you change your own narrative forever.

B 🤍

Originally published at http://thepedophilehuntress.com on May 3, 2024.