Institutional and systemic failure

Being incarcerated in conditions that caused harm

Being incarcerated in conditions that were unsafe, abusive, or inhumane. Violence inside facilities. Solitary confinement. Medical neglect while incarcerated. A carceral system that caused harm beyond the deprivation of liberty it was authorized to impose.

If some version of this is part of your story, you already know that the hardest part is rarely the memory itself. It is carrying it in a world that mostly does not want to hear about it. This fellowship exists so you do not have to carry it alone, and so you never have to explain it to someone who has no idea what it means.

What can follow an experience like this

No two people carry the same experience the same way. These are some of the effects that people with this experience often describe. Having some of them, all of them, or none of them says nothing about how real what happened to you was.

Chronic pain no one can fully explain Pain that has been investigated and treated and remains. Complex or ongoing trauma and its effects When trauma happened repeatedly, over a long time, or at the hands of people who were supposed to care for you, the effects go deeper than a single event. Insomnia or feeling unsafe enough to sleep Difficulty falling asleep. Not knowing who you are, or experiencing multiple parts or identities A self that shifts depending on who you are with. Going on the attack before something bad can happen When the nervous system learned that threat was coming, some people learned to meet it head on. Withdrawing and isolating from people A retreat inward that can feel like protection, and often is. Rage or anger that is hard to control Anger that comes fast, feels bigger than the situation, or has caused harm to relationships or situations. Homelessness or housing instability Homelessness and housing instability are often what trauma produces.

Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.

You do not have to carry this alone.

Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.

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