Physical violence

Being physically restrained, confined, or prevented from leaving

Being held down, locked in, tied up, or physically prevented from moving or leaving. By anyone, in any context.

Having your body overpowered or your freedom taken leaves a mark that words struggle to reach. Small spaces, locked doors, or being held can set off alarms years later, and people around you may not understand why. Everyone here takes those alarms seriously, because a body that has been trapped does not forget it.

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. 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. Freeze response When the nervous system learned that neither fighting nor fleeing was possible, some people learned to go still. Dissociation Dissociation is what the nervous system does when what is happening is too much to stay present for. Depersonalization Not feeling at home in your own body. Flight response When the nervous system learned that staying was dangerous, some people learned to keep moving.

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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