Surviving the Unthinkable
Ashley shares her harrowing experience of surviving a violent assault and the profound impact it had on her life. Despite her initial determination to persevere, she faced overwhelming panic and fear that led her down a dark path of self-destruction. Her journey highlights the complexities of healing and the struggle to reclaim one's life after trauma.In this clip
From this podcast
Commune with Jeff Krasno
111. From the Archives: Why Forgive?
Related Questions
Could the experience I described as a child be considered real trauma? I suppressed all anxiety and stress by smoking cannabis daily for several years, but now that I've quit for over 2 months, the stress, overthinking, and anxiety have returned worse than ever. Here's a summary of what happened: When I was 10 years old, I went on vacation with someone from my soccer team whom I didn't really know. I was naive and friendly with everyone, and when he invited me, I thought it would be a good vacation. Once there, he acted strangely. One day, he started touching me. Although I’m not gay, I froze, my heart raced, and I was extremely stressed but didn’t fully comprehend what was happening. He did not rape me, but he did touch me inappropriately. At one point, when his guardian showed up at the door, he locked it, and I realized the gravity of the situation, which made me panic. Afterward, I stayed close to the adoption father, who was caring and provided a sense of protection. He sensed something was off, but I kept silent. The guy I was with mocked the situation and hinted at what happened, which only added to my confusion and fear. I couldn't sleep properly for over a year, cried almost every single night, and felt disgusted with myself whenever I interacted in a sexual context. It even made me confess to my father about it, expressing regret for what I had done. Only after a year did I finally break down and tell my father what happened. Given the lasting impact this experience had on me, could it be classified as trauma?
Could the experience I described as a child in the episode #729 The Ripples Of Childhood Abuse - Nathan Spiteri be considered real trauma, especially since I suppressed all anxiety and stress by smoking cannabis daily for several years? Given the lasting impact this experience had on me, could it be classified as trauma?
How can I cope with the trauma caused by people around me while still sharing my space and focusing on my studies?