Physical violence

Being physically hurt by a sibling or other family member

Physical harm at the hands of a brother, sister, or other family member. Often minimized or dismissed as normal. Often happening where no adult intervened.

Violence from a sibling gets waved away as roughhousing more than almost any other harm. If the adults shrugged while you got hurt in your own home, you learned that protection had limits and you were outside them. That lesson was wrong, and unlearning it is easier among people who were also told it was no big deal.

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 The nervous system that learned to scan for danger all the time. Trust issues Trust that was broken, repeatedly, by people who were supposed to be safe. Shame Not guilt about something you did. Startle response The nervous system calibrated to danger will flinch at sounds, movements, or surprises that others barely notice. Anxiety The background hum of dread that is always there. Rage Anger that comes fast, feels bigger than the situation, or has caused harm to relationships or situations. C-PTSD 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. Depression Not just sadness.

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