I don't always recognize myself as a survivor of emotional abuse, because the physical and sexual abuse was more obvious and memorable, but this description sounds familiar, and the reality of shame because of our abuse is something I think any of us who grew up with abuse as a kid feels.

That shame can lead to brooding and constantly trying to fix ourselves. That, I understand. The frustration of trying to fix ourselves because of something that wasn't even our fault to begin with can be immense. If anything, I'd like to see resources that help all of us give ourselves a break and understand that this was someone else's personal failing, not ours. 

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I'm not sure what the solution to this is. I imagine it is likely some combination of better healthcare resources, better communities, recognizing the need to support caretakers at home and work, etc. What I do know is that romanticizing it won't solve anything. Talking about how Dolly wanted to be with her husband does a disservice to what happened while she was caring for him, and to all the people out there caring for a loved one without nearly the resources she had. They deserve better than platitudes; they deserve real support. 

The post Sharing – Dolly Parton’s legacy includes an unfortunate reality of caregiving: Not taking care of oneself appeared first on Survivors News and Reviews.

Because of this stigma, articles like the one above become rare, and important reads. The stories shared in it might feel familiar to you as you read them, or they may help you understand what many survivors of sexual abuse deal with in thier lives. When you've been sexually abused, sex and arousal can become very complicated things. That complication shouldn't come with judgement, but we know that it too often does. The judgement doesn't help anyone heal, in fact, it likely does even more harm. 

The post Sharing – Why Trauma Returns Through Sex appeared first on Survivors News and Reviews.

It's one thing to encourage trauma survivors to ask for help. It's quite another to make sure the help available to them won't make things worse. There are too many unsafe people in this world who would mock, dismiss, or retraumatize survivors. So long as those experiences keep repeating themselves, there is no wonder that survivors don't ask for help until it's the absolute last resort. That's exactly what happened to me, too. I didn't ask for help; I just kept getting worse until I had no choice but to get help. 

That shouldn't have been necessary. 

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We could make a massive improvement in society's mental health by getting involved earlier, but we somehow continue to do very little and hope it won't get worse. 

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It makes sense; sports can become a community, and we know how much that can benefit our mental health:

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The post Shared Links (bi-weekly) Aug. 9, 2026 appeared first on Survivors News and Reviews.

Today, young people are more likely to report it. This is a good thing, but it raises the question of whether the increases are real or whether people are simply more likely to report struggling. This report makes it clear that while that explains some of the rising rates, it's not the complete picture. The complete picture is that young people are struggling more.

So how do we make sure they can get the help they need?

The post Sharing – Mentally, are young people really worse off? Or are they better at admitting they’re struggling? appeared first on Survivors News and Reviews.