Jeff encourages survivors to seek help by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-865-HOPE, which can refer them to local sexual assault services. He acknowledges that talking about abuse can bring back painful memories and trauma, but it is part of the recovery process to face and acknowledge what happened and set oneself on the path to healing. Jeff shares his own experience of recognizing the abuse he suffered and the impact it had on his life, and how it took him back to the traumatic event.
Talking about your abuse can bring back painful memories and make you relive a lot of trauma. But help is available. You can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1800-865-HOPE. They can refer you to local sexual assault services in your community and there’s folks you can talk to about what’s going on. I was in my twenties before I recognized that what happened to me even counted as abuse. And at that point I started to relive the trauma from it. I was in my thirties before I recognized the impact the abuse had had on my life and again it took me right back to where I was when it had first happened. It’s not fun but those things are part of the recovery process as you face and acknowledge what happened to you and set yourself on the path for healing.
