Bound by Blood, Marked by the Dragonfly.

“no recovery from trauma is possible without attending to issues of safety, care for the self, reparative connections to other human beings, and a…

— Janina Fisher

“I'm still not sure if I was a victim or not... and if I was, who was my abuser?”

— Eskay Teel

“In spite of the horror, in spite of the tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending.…

— Ellen Bass

“Survivors of abuse show us the strength of their personal spirit every time they smile.”

— Jeanne McElvaney

“In situations of captivity the perpetrator becomes the most powerful person in the life of the victim, and the psychology of the victim is…

— Judith Lewis Herman

“The more I focus my time and energy on withstanding a real life, I am able to overcome and come out victorious.”

— Patricia Dsouza

“The capacity for dissociation enables the young child to exercise their innate life-sustaining need for attachment in spite of the fact that principal attachment…

— Warwick Middleton

“One of the reasons a survivor finds it so difficult to see herself as a victim is that she has been blamed repeatedly for…

— Diane Langberg

“There is a moment in our healing journey when our denial crumbles; we realize our experience and it's continued effects on us won't "just…

— Jeanne McElvaney

“Dissociated trauma memories don't reveal themselves like ordinary memories. Like pieces of a puzzle, they escape the primitive part of our brain where the…

— Jeanne McElvaney

“When you accept things as they are, you allow yourself to make choices, that will help create the change you seek.”

— Patricia Dsouza

“There came a time in my life when I had to admit to myself that I have some very clear narcissistic tendencies. Ironically, it…

— Beverly Engel

“The experience of childhood sexual abuse leaves some survivors with a high tolerance for pain. Dysfunctional environments require endurance and thick skin. Child survivors…

— Rosenna Bakari

“Stuffing our memories might become familiar over the years, but it requires a mental vigilance that separates us from our inner world. It's building…

— Jeanne McElvaney

“Kadyn was tearing down walls faster than I could build them. I knew what to expect from men who hit… men who threatened, manipulated,…

— K.S. Ruff