Physical violence

Being physically attacked by someone outside your family

Being attacked, beaten, or physically harmed by someone who was not family. A stranger, an acquaintance, someone from your community. Including things that were never reported or believed.

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.

Insomnia or feeling unsafe enough to sleep Difficulty falling asleep. Depression Not just sadness. 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. Flashbacks and reliving what happened After certain experiences, the brain can get stuck, replaying what happened through flashbacks, nightmares, or sudden intense reactions to things that remind you of it. Hypervigilance or always waiting for something bad The nervous system that learned to scan for danger all the time. Not knowing who to trust Trust that was broken, repeatedly, by people who were supposed to be safe. Being easily startled or jumpy The nervous system calibrated to danger will flinch at sounds, movements, or surprises that others barely notice.

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.

Find a meeting Join the fellowship

Need support right now?

Related experiences we cover

See everything we cover