Physical violence

Being physically harmed in a medical or institutional setting

Physical harm that occurred in a hospital, psychiatric facility, group home, residential program, or other institution. Restraints used as punishment. Force used without necessity or consent. Harm that happened in a place that was supposed to be helping you.

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.

Hypervigilance or always waiting for something bad The nervous system that learned to scan for danger all the time. Chronic pain no one can fully explain Pain that has been investigated and treated and remains. Shame or feeling like something is broken in you Not guilt about something you did. Feeling disconnected from your body Not feeling at home in your own body. Panic attacks A panic attack is not just anxiety turned up. 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. Not knowing who to trust Trust that was broken, repeatedly, by people who were supposed to be safe. Anxiety and constant worry The background hum of dread that is always there.

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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