Physical violence

Having your home broken into or being robbed

Someone entering your home without permission, or taking something from you by force or threat. Being held up, mugged, carjacked, or coming home to find your space has been gone through. Including times when nothing of value was taken and the violation was the whole of it.

People will tell you it was only things, and they will miss the point entirely. What was taken was the belief that your own door means something. Getting that back takes longer than replacing anything that was carried out. Nobody here will ask you why you are still checking the locks.

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.

Not knowing who to trust Trust that was broken, repeatedly, by people who were supposed to be safe. Emotional numbness Not depression exactly. Depression Not just sadness. Staying busy or moving because stillness feels unsafe When the nervous system learned that staying was dangerous, some people learned to keep moving. Withdrawing and isolating from people A retreat inward that can feel like protection, and often is. Conflict feeling like a physical threat For many survivors conflict is not just uncomfortable. Struggling to make sense of what happened to you The questions that will not resolve. Financial devastation or losing everything Financial ruin is often what trauma leaves behind.

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

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