theflyingchild.bsky.social
📣Leading Conversations About #CSA Through Survivor-Led Training, Campaigning & Support
🌸Sophie Olson: Founder/activist/writer
📖Author of The Flying Child - A Cautionary Fairy Tale For Adults 🌸(ZunTold)
#TheFlyingChildStory #CSASurvivorSky
267 posts
802 followers
1,068 following
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Until anyone can prove otherwise - I believe with every fibre of my being - not ‘no known cause… but Child Sexual Abuse.’
#CSA #TheFlyingChildStory #scoliosis #TheBodyKeepsTheScore #cfs
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I always knew the cause of these ‘unexplained’ illnesses. I felt my body ‘growing wrong’ as a child. I am not looking for people to fix me - just to know that I have an understanding of my own body in ways that might yet be understood. 3/
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Age 14- to early 20’s: CFS/ME diagnosis - “no known cause.”
Age 30: Osteopenia and Arthritis in pelvis and lower spine: “No known cause.”
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If you have read the book, and you found it helpful, please do consider leaving an Amazon review. 🌸♥️
@zuntold.bsky.social
#CSA #therapy #counselling #trauma end/
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I’m contacted by professionals in social work, education, healthcare and mental health who tell me they’re approaching things differently as a direct result of this book, and that they are having more conversations about child sexual abuse. This is wonderful to know. 5/
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Publishing this book was one of the hardest decisions to make but I have no regrets. Every week I’m contacted by someone who tells me the book helps them to better understand themselves, or a survivor they’re supporting. 4/
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Survivors have different needs and there are many different ways of meeting them. A year on and the conversations continue about how we begin to do that in a way that doesn’t cause further harm, and the importance of always looking beyond the label. 3/
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for a conversation about how the book came to be written, the harmful silences around child sexual abuse, the challenges of navigating the medical sphere and support services, and ultimately how Pat and I worked relationally to approach the aftermaths of child sexual abuse (CSA).
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I created a lot of 'noise' in my life - always out, alcohol, drugs, anything to avoid dealing with the reality. It's a form of harm. Sitting down in my first counselling session was so scary - I just burst into tears. But it was the first day of the journey to better understanding & coping #CSA
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Me too. I vividly remember saying to my T I don't have any angry bone in my body. I'm always nice. I was (and still am at times)full of rage. I just pointed it inside.
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That I had a right to be angry. That I wasn't responsible for keeping the family together. That I wasnt a terrible child who deserved it.
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Thank you for sharing. I wish I’d known all of this too, especially the angry part. I was frightened of anger and turned it inwards - often harming myself.
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How we speak out about our abuse is a deeply personal choice. Every word should be valued, never scorned as trauma p**n. There is no rule book to speaking out. Let’s be kind and support all survivors. End/
#CSASurvivorSky #CSA #ItsNotOk #SupportSurvivors
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I see time and again front line workers, facing the most traumatised client groups, who are operating in oppressive contexts. I want them to be treated as the most precious parts of their organisations, with adequate resources, support and validation. 4
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If you want to join in the conversation share campaigns, highlight support services, dispel myths and amplify the voices that should be heard, you can find more information here, as well as the free to download logos for your posts.
sexualabuseandsexualviolenceawarenessweek.org
#ITSNOTOK
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Resilience. I dislike that so much. Especially for children.
No I survived the best I could, which I wouldn't have to do if a crime was committed against me.
Resilience is a positive spin on horrific circumstances to make other people more comfortable.
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I agree.
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I’m not sure about ‘brave’ either. It’s said to me a lot and I appreciate the sentiment but disagree. Not brave, just surviving to the best of my ability.
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And "brave" I'm not sure how I feel about brave either. I know (hope) it is said from kindness and am grateful that someone is brave enough to engage in conversation and acknowledge they are aware of challenges that do not go away. 🤗
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And to you. Thank you for sharing a bit of your experience x
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Thank you for sharing. It can be very difficult to go back. Memories hide in the shadows.
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Thank you 🙏🏼
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We know the MH system needs to provide timely, TI care.
There is a lot of talk about the need for change, but the real people suffering, risk being a bit othered, or forgotten in the general noise of it all. My story is a reminder. CSA can and does, happen everywhere. END
#TheFlyingChildStory #CSA
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Children are being sexually abused, in homes across the country. We know urgent changes are needed. We know there is a need for improved training for professionals to identify and respond to abuse, alongside increased funding for prevention, intervention, and support services. 10/
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The alternative is estrangement. I have huge respect for those who choose it because it takes courage and strength.
Why post about this? As a reminder. 9/
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For the survivor who endured CSA, it’s not history. It’s current. There is no hiding. Today I will felt the abuse in my body. I saw him in the mirror. I am ok, because I have ways of managing, and no one forced me to go, so it was a choice, of sorts. 8/
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I expected my family to sell up when I disclosed, but it never happened. It was a painful realisation to know my history was not theirs. That it was easy for those I loved to brush mine under the rug. To box off even the worst horrors. To hide from it completely, in fact. 7/