Last week, we talked about reporting a sexual assault. This week, we’re talking about sexual assault recovery. Many survivors of sexual assault feel like they are alone. But they are not. Others have gone through the same thing. Their stories can help with recovery.
A Survivor’s Story
James Meadours is one of those people. He is a survivor, and he shares a message of hope. He wants other survivors to know they are not alone and that healing is possible.
Watch the full video on our Seen and Heard: IDD Community YouTube channel.
Don’t Play the Blame Game
After an assault, many survivors feel like it was their fault. People in their lives might even say things that add to that shame. Often, those who harm people with IDD do not get caught or punished. This makes it even harder to put the blame where it belongs–on the person who hurt them. We must all remember it is never the survivor’s fault. Blame belongs only to the person who caused harm.
Take Your Time
Healing takes time. There is no right moment to speak out. James says it took him many years to talk about what happened. What helped him? Hearing another survivor share their story. That made him feel brave enough to share his own. That is also why he works so hard to speak out for other survivors.
Later, when he was assaulted again, James felt ready to take on the world right away. He wanted to speak out and fight back. But his Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) gave him advice. She told him, “Take care of yourself first.” When you feel strong inside, you’ll be ready to stand up for others too.
Take Care of Yourself
Self-care is a big part of sexual assault recovery. You may feel strong one day. But trauma can come back fast. Taking care of your mind and body every day helps you feel ready when this happens. Self-care looks different for everyone. James likes creative writing. He talks to a therapist. Helping others is part of his self-care too. Do what helps you feel safe, healthy, and happy.
We created two Recovery toolkits to help. We made one for self-advocates and families. We made another one for teachers and service providers. They include:
- Roleplays to help survivors tell their story
- Discussion questions about the path to healing
- Self-care checklists with lots of different ideas
We hope these toolkits will help survivors and others. Everyone needs to know that sexual assault is not the survivor’s fault. It may take a long time, but healing is possible. Self-care makes that process easier.
Learn More
We can all support survivors. We can learn more about recovery. We can support self-advocates as they recover step by step.
- Use our toolkits and other resources.
- Watch the Recovery playlist on Seen and Heard: IDD Community. James shares more about his journey.
Everyone deserves to be heard and believed. Let’s support survivors with care and action.