--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't get myself to say what happened…" description: "\"“I can't get myself to say what happened next. I cannot cope with even thinking about this let alone living with it.\" \"It is so degrading and I try to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/carolyn-ainscough-53451_child-abuse_i-can-t-get-myself-to-say-what-happened_523485.jpg" --- # I can't get myself to say what happened next. I cannot… ![“I can't get myself to say what happened next. I cannot cope with even thinking about this let alone living with it." "It is so degrading and I try to forget, it hurts so much because she is my mother." - Graham talks about being sexually abused by his mother” quote by Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/carolyn-ainscough-53451_child-abuse_i-can-t-get-myself-to-say-what-happened_523485.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/carolyn-ainscough-53451_child-abuse_i-can-t-get-myself-to-say-what-happened_523485.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b97/carolyn-ainscough-53451_child-abuse_i-can-t-get-myself-to-say-what-happened_523485.jpg) > ““I can't get myself to say what happened next. I cannot cope with even thinking about this let alone living with it." "It is so degrading and I try to forget, it hurts so much because she is my mother." - Graham talks about being sexually abused by his mother”” [Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A survivor describes the deep pain and degradation of being abused by a mother, feeling unable to confront or process it. **In simple terms:** Abuse by a parent causes profound, lingering trauma. Key Takeaway Seek professional help to process and heal. Themes trauma family abuse mental health grief Mood somber empathetic Type therapeutic personal When to use this quote - Therapy - support groups - legal advocacy Key Concepts Psychological trauma betrayal healing journey Questions to Reflect On - What steps can survivors take toward recovery? - How can families support victims? A Different Perspective Healing is a long, painful process that may never fully erase pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abused/) [Abused Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abused-mother-534210/) [Child abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-abuse/) [Child-rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-rape/) [Child-sexual-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-sexual-abuse/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Disgust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgust/) [Graham Talks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graham-talks-793676/) [Hurts Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurts-mother-4412659/) [Mother Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-graham-4412660/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Sexual abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexual-abuse/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivor/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) ## Related quotes > [“I am disgusted that I was often taken into their bed and told to do things to both of them. The things a decent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/i-am-disgusted-that-i-was-often-taken-into-their-bed-and-told-to-do/) [Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/) > [“Like Jocelyn, Survivors often think: \* That’s just the way I am \* I’m not lovable, that’s why I keep having disastrous relationships \*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/like-jocelyn-survivors-often-think-that-s-just-the-way-i-am-i-m-not/) [Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/) > [Billy Graham talks about how he doesn't judge people. I don't either. Some people I am just pissed at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hahn/billy-graham-talks-about-how-he-doesn-t-judge-people-i-don-t-either/) [Jessica Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hahn/) > [“He pulled my skirt up. I began to worry. 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I had to be 'Girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-a/all-i-wanted-to-do-was-hide-away-from-the-world-but-i-still-had-a/) [Girl A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-a/) > [“Along with the trust issues, one of the hardest parts to deal with is the feeling of not being believed or supported, especially by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-merryn/along-with-the-trust-issues-one-of-the-hardest-parts-to-deal-with-is/) [Erin Merryn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-merryn/) > [“In the specific case of the use of the term “false memory” to describe errors in details in laboratory tasks (e.g., in word-learning tasks),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-j-freyd/in-the-specific-case-of-the-use-of-the-term-false-memory-to-describe/) [Jennifer J. Freyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-j-freyd/) > [“The witch-hunt narrative is a really popular story that goes like this: Lots of people were falsely convicted of child sexual abuse in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-cheit/the-witch-hunt-narrative-is-a-really-popular-story-that-goes-like/) [Ross Cheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-cheit/) > [“She was so upset about a blog that maybe a total of six people read yet had no compassion for her granddaughters who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-merryn/she-was-so-upset-about-a-blog-that-maybe-a-total-of-six-people-read/) [Erin Merryn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-merryn/) > [“Mind Your Language in the Presence of Patriachs Q. When is rape not rape? A. When it is your father or stepfather.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-caroline-taylor/mind-your-language-in-the-presence-of-patriachs-q-when-is-rape-not/) [S. Caroline Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-caroline-taylor/) > [“The book argues that even though many cases have been held up as classic examples of modern American “witch hunts,” none of them fits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-cheit/the-book-argues-that-even-though-many-cases-have-been-held-up-as/) [Ross Cheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-cheit/) > [“It was after a Frontline television documentary screened in the US in 1995 that the Freyds' public profile as aggrieved parents provoked another rupture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jones-beatrix-campbell/it-was-after-a-frontline-television-documentary-screened-in-the-us-in/) [Judith Jones Beatrix Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jones-beatrix-campbell/) > [“It was that culture of denial that allowed my abuse to take place to start with. Did you know that it wasn't until 1984…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/it-was-that-culture-of-denial-that-allowed-my-abuse-to-take-place-to/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) ## More by Carolyn Ainscough > [“the abuser's desire to abuse is not created by the child - it is there before the child appears”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/the-abuser-s-desire-to-abuse-is-not-created-by-the-child-it-is-there/) [Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/) > [“Survivors are damaged to different degrees by their experiences. This does not depend on what happened physically. A Survivor who has been raped will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/survivors-are-damaged-to-different-degrees-by-their-experiences-this/) [Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/) > [“I am disgusted that I was often taken into their bed and told to do things to both of them. 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The marketing spills over the border, and people are persuaded to eat food that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-patel/one-of-the-most-abused-country-on-earth-is-mexico-the-marketing/) [Raj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-patel/) > [“Too many cases thrown out of court, too much pop-psycho crap, satanic bullshit... if you FEEL you've been abused, you HAVE been!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kellerman/too-many-cases-thrown-out-of-court-too-much-pop-psycho-crap-satanic/) [Jonathan Kellerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kellerman/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“I used to teach at an abused children's home. I told the kids, "You all have a manure pile of memories. Nothing you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-o-donnell/i-used-to-teach-at-an-abused-children-s-home-i-told-the-kids-you-all/) [Rebecca O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-o-donnell/) > [Early on in my life, I had a broken soul. I was abused by my father, abandoned by my mother and ended up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/early-on-in-my-life-i-had-a-broken-soul-i-was-abused-by-my-father/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“I'm 80% done with The Darker Side of Trey : "It was a pitiful truth. That people seemed unwilling to see the abused, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-spears/i-m-80-done-with-the-darker-side-of-trey-it-was-a-pitiful-truth-that/) [Tara Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-spears/) > [Praise makes me humble, but when I am abused, I know that I have touched the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/praise-makes-me-humble-but-when-i-am-abused-i-know-that-i-have/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [I’ve abused myself a lot over the years. But my voice is still intact – really, it’s better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-ve-abused-myself-a-lot-over-the-years-but-my-voice-is-still-intact/) [Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/) > [I've been chased. I've been pushed. I've been screamed at. I've been verbally abused. I've been afraid for my safety. But I did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/i-ve-been-chased-i-ve-been-pushed-i-ve-been-screamed-at-i-ve-been/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [“The book is open, spine cracked, abused in a way no one with respect for paper should ever do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-swyler/the-book-is-open-spine-cracked-abused-in-a-way-no-one-with-respect/) [Erika Swyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-swyler/) > [I ask my friend -what is your story?- because I want to give the answer of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ask-my-friend-what-is-your-story-because-i-want-to-give-the-answer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people have never been loved, they've only been disrespected, used, cheated on, abused and hurt that's why they don't trust anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-have-never-been-loved-they-ve-only-been-disrespected-used/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [The term 'doctor' has been so abused lately! I didn't live in a hospital for 10 years so that term could be bastardized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/the-term-doctor-has-been-so-abused-lately-i-didn-t-live-in-a-hospital/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [“Abuse ambushed my life, I could not love myself truly and could never have a healthy relationship, they were either abused or completely impaired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/abuse-ambushed-my-life-i-could-not-love-myself-truly-and-could-never/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst...They are for nothing but to inspire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/books-are-the-best-of-things-well-used-abused-among-the-worst-they/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Browse all 293 Abused quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abused/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I can't get myself to say what happened next. 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