Survivor’s Speak: Anonymous

The Survivors Speak Interview series is dedicated to amplifying the voices of survivors by providing a platform to share our stories and connect us through experiences and healing. Read stories of childhood trauma as survivors share their pain, their hope, and their healing. 

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Anonymous Survivor, India

Please share what inspired you to share your story.

I want to know if it’s trauma or i have made it up in my head for attention

Please share your story in as much or as little detail as you are comfortable.

Hi there!

I wanted to open up about something that has had a profound impact on my life: the trauma I experienced at the hands of a teacher during my childhood. As a kid in fourth grade, I looked up to my teachers and trusted them to guide me on my educational journey. Little did I know that one particular teacher would end up being a source of pain and self-doubt that has stayed with me until today, at the age of 24.

This teacher seemed to take pleasure in humiliating me in front of my classmates. She would often make disparaging comments about my appearance, saying that my parents weren’t taking good care of me because I wasn’t well-groomed for school. She would even make me sit alone in the class, alone during recess as a form of punishment, while my classmates looked on. It was incredibly embarrassing and made me feel like an outcast.

But the trauma didn’t stop there.

I later found out that this teacher would gossip about me with other teachers, spreading lies and rumors that further harmed my image among my peers. She even convinced another student in my class to bully me, making me believe that there was something inherently wrong with me that caused this behavior. As a child, it was devastating to be singled out and ostracized in such a way.

The effects of this trauma have lingered long into my adulthood. I struggle with constant self-doubt and anxiety, always feeling like I’m not good enough. It’s difficult to trust authority figures and I often question my own worthiness. It’s taken years of self-reflection and transitory therapy to understand that the hurtful words and actions of this teacher were not a reflection of my value as a person.

What’s truly disheartening is that this teacher’s behavior may have been insignificant to my classmates, who were bystanders to the bullying. They may not have realized the lasting impact it had on me, and perhaps other students who may have been treated similarly by her. It’s a reminder that we need to be mindful of how our words and actions can affect others, even if it may seem insignificant to us. No child should have to endure the kind of trauma that I experienced at the hands of a teacher.

So, to anyone who has gone through similar experiences, know that you are not alone. It’s okay to seek help and support to heal.

What are some of the challenging ways your trauma has manifested in your life?

Constant Imposter Syndrome

What are two or three things you have learned as you heal that you believe are important for survivors to know as they heal?

People are bad , they take out their life frustration on the helpless – the teacher was divorced

Thank you for sharing your story brave warrior!

Share Your Story

Sharing your story is a powerful part of your healing journey. It helps you find and reclaim your voice and it helps others who are trying to find there’s. It lets us all know that we are not alone when we can connect through shared lived experiences.

If you would like to share your own story with the Surviving Childhood Trauma community, please use the link below to submit it.

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Looking for Ways to Connect With Other Survivors and/or Receive Support as You Heal?

Survivor’s Circle Peer Support Groups might be just what you need. 

These small groups meet on alternating days of the week via Zoom. In these groups, survivors connect, share, and support each other through the ebbs and flows of healing. Attend a session and experience the magical healing that happens when survivors connect and support each other through shit only we can understand.

You can also book individual 1:1 peer support sessions with Shanon for private support in a closed space. You deserve support as you heal, and I am here to help. You don’t have to heal alone.

On the Journey Peer Support Monthly Package

As a part of this monthly support program you will gain access to all Survivor’s Circle Peer Support group support sessions every month as well as individual 1:1 peer support sessions with Shanon each month. 

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Hi, I am Shanon

I am a trauma informed, trained, and Certified Peer Support Specialist in the state of Wisconsin. I am also a survivor with years committed to my own trauma healing after being diagnosed with (C) PTSD due to childhood abuse. Additionally, I have a professional and personal history of community facilitation and peer work.

I specialize in helping survivors like you make connections between real time experiences and past trauma wounds, identify and communicate boundaries, create self-care plans that work, navigate big emotions and trauma responses, reparent your inner child, and embody your own self-worth through the healing process with confidence and personal empowerment.

These support groups and 1:1 peer support sessions should not replace professional therapy; they will however provide additional support and information