Physical violence

Being physically hurt by someone in a position of authority over you

A teacher, coach, religious leader, employer, or anyone else who had power over you and used physical harm or force against you.

Harm from someone with power over you carries an extra layer, because the same position that let them hurt you made them the one who would be believed. Many survivors of this went silent for years doing that math. The math was rigged. It was never a fair fight, and your silence was survival, not consent.

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.

PTSD 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 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. Anxiety The background hum of dread that is always there. Problems with authority The original experiences with authority figures, parents, teachers, institutions, abusers, shaping the automatic response to anyone who holds power. Panic attacks A panic attack is not just anxiety turned up. 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.

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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