My Absolutely Insane Christmas “Holiday”: Being the Strong One

This week, I have been talking about the challenges of dealing with my mother-in-law (MIL’s) sudden death the week before Christmas. In light my child abuse history and negative associations with Christmas already, this has been quite a challenge. I might have to flee to Fiji for Christmas next year. Hub and my in-laws have [...]

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My Absolutely Insane Christmas “Holiday”: Losing Loved One at Christmas

There is no getting around it. Losing a loved one during the holidays is completely awful. Of course, a death in the family is never pleasant, but there is an added pain when it happens right at a time when society at large is “jolly.” It is okay to laugh at this blog even though [...]

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My Absolutely Insane Christmas “Holiday”: Dysfunctional Families

Hi, everyone. I am back from my hiatus (I hope!). I stopped blogging abruptly in the middle of a series on dealing with issues surrounding sex after sexual abuse. I do plan to get back to that topic, but first I feel the need to pour out the last couple of weeks. They have been [...]

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Taking a Break

I am going to be taking a break for a week or two from blogging. My mother-in-law passed away suddenly earlier this week. Her funeral is this afternoon. Fortunately, I had written a week ahead, so I had content for this week. However, I have been so busy with making arrangements for the funeral, writing [...]

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Reabusing Yourself to Achieve Orgasm after Sexual Abuse

One my most popular blog entries is one entitled Orgasm during Rape or Other Form of Sexual Abuse. In the comments, Palucci posted the following: I woke up this morning. I realized something else about myself that I never questioned before. I am 39 years old and married for 10 years and I have never [...]

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Having Realistic Expectations about What Healing from Child Abuse Means

I recently paid a visit to my therapist. I have been out of therapy for a couple of years now, but I felt like I needed a “therapy tweak.” I told my therapist about how challenging it was to keep getting triggered and then be okay a few days later. It made me feel like [...]

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Frustrations with Not Being Able to Help Others

One of the biggest joys in my life is helping others along their healing journey. That is why I write this blog. I don’t get paid for it. I only registered as an Amazon affiliate so that this blog can raise money to help fund Isurvive, my favorite charity for child abuse survivors. The checks [...]

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More Triggers During the Holiday Season

It feels like forever since I wrote on my blog. I started a new job a few weeks ago. I knew that starting the new job, combined with the Christmas season, would take most of my focus, so I wrote ahead on my blogs, both here and on my professional adoption blog. I am glad [...]

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Telling Friends about Your Child Abuse History: Some Final Words

While it was daunting for me to share my history of child abuse with friends, I have no regrets about doing so. Even the times that did not turn out so great were still worth it. Every time I share my child abuse story, I validate that it happened. I also educate others about child [...]

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Telling Friends about Your Child Abuse History: What to Tell

One of my biggest challenges in sharing my story is figuring out what to tell or, more precisely, how much to tell. My story is so involved that I could go on for weeks. I am always concerned about the reaction of the other person. I used to be concerned about being rejected after telling [...]

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