In honor of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Due to the pandemic our focus has deviated away from other social issues that matter. April is dedicated to Sexual Assault Awareness in efforts to bringing attention to not only the issue but to the many survivors. Sexual assault is defined as an act in which a person intentionally sexually touches another person without that person’s consent and/or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. Sexual assault a form of sexual violence which includes rape, sex trafficking, groping and/or the suffering brought on to a person in a sexual manner. Victims of sexual assault can range in age, gender, ethnicity, social status and religious beliefs.
Let us bring light to this. . .
My entire life I have always connected with women that are genuine enough to share the layers of their life with me. To be honest, a handful of them are survivors of sexual assault and I have learned so much from my interaction with these bold women. Here is what they taught me: they are not defined by what happened to them, they stand taller in their skin after working through the trauma, they are stronger than they realize and lastly, they showed me that this can happen to ANYONE.
With that being said, I am actually collaborating with an amazing friend and survivor to raise awareness while creating resources to help other women as well. Victoria Rivera has been a featured guest on my podcast as well the first to submit a contributing piece where she discusses her battle with weight and self-image. She brought it my attention that the pandemic was drowning out the exposure of a real issue that is highlighted this month. I decided to use my platform to ensure people are aware of this and to also remind that coronavirus is not the only social battle that requires our attention.
Here is Vicky's Story:
“In June 2014, I was raped. However, it was not until the year 2017 that I admitted it to myself and began the process of coping. As a result of this newfound realization in 2017, negative emotions were developed and became detrimental to my overall well-being. As I repressed my emotions for those three years, I pretended that my life was normal; I thought that I would be able to embrace self-confidence and have the ability to develop romantic relationships with others again. To much of my dismay, I was wrong.
When I admitted to myself that I was raped in 2017, I immediately tried to find a way of coping with my emotions, alone. I purchased the workbook, Ressurection After Rape, by Matt Atkinson, and completed half of the workbook. The workbook is still in my closet, and has not been touched since. That same year, I completed my thesis, Leading Survivors: Rape Victims becoming Leaders by Overcoming the Therapeutic Journey From Being a Rape Victim to a Rape Survivor” and it is my favorite academic piece up until this date.
Although I was taking the initiative of tackling this journey by myself, I knew I needed assistance from an outside source. Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I began seeing a therapist in December 2019 who is helping me tremendously on this emotionally draining, yet self-reflecting journey.
As I began talking to my therapist about my rape, she mentioned the idea of completing exercises to help cope with my emotions, in addition to providing me with guidance on how I can talk about them in general.
That is where the letters come in. The following letters are two exercises that I completed while in therapy. Indeed, the letters are personal, however, I believe they exude empowerment and provide some insight to readers. The letters presented are to show readers that they are not alone! They, too, deserve love along with eternal happiness despite any shortcomings or plight they may have endured in their lives.”
Written by: Victoria Rivera
Vicky’s story is both incredibly inspiring and genuine. As she opened herself up to me she mentioned that through therapy she began to heal and learned a few writing exercises that helped her tremendously. She wrote two letters, one to herself and one to her sister/sibling. The letter to herself was about acceptance, forgiveness and owning her resilience. The letter to her sister was her way of taking her experience and becoming a light to help provide guidance. Vicky was bold enough to not only share these vulnerable letter with me but she encouraged me to share them with you all as well.
Take some time to read these heart felt letters.
Rewrite Your Story
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault please be aware that you are not defined by what happened to you. You are able to take the reins on your life and rewrite the narrative from victim to survivor. As I mentioned previously, I collaborated this month with Vicky to create a writing exercise to promote growth and acceptance. Whether you address it to yourself or a loved one, use this template to help you in say your piece. This helps others connect with you further while also reconnecting with yourself.
Download the template below.
I want to take the time thank Vicky once more for being so bold and open with me about her experience with sexual assault. In addition, I am honored that you chose Vitamins for Breakfast as the place you wanted to share you message/story with. Vicky was the one who actually brought it to my attention that due to COVID-19 another very important social issue was being sidelined and I jumped at the opportunity to help change that.
Thank you all for taking the time to read today’s post!