While We Were Silent

Book excerpt: Why do survivors stay silent for so long? And what are the effects of silently holding onto trauma that ripple into the lives of the abused? Sparked by events that fueled the #MeToo movement, more people are speaking out, and more people are listening. This series of interviews is groundbreaking - it is cultivating open conversations in a safe, respectful, skillfully-facilitated environment. The interview series and Facebook community together are building momentum to changehow we live in relationship to women and to the Earth.The interviews in While We Were Silent nourish the hearts that have longed to be heard and met with compassion. The practitioners are full of passion for helping readers overcome obstacles to recovering from sexual abuse. They offer valuableinformation and proven modalities to move forward.Practitioners share their expertise and resources for overcoming sexual abuse through the arts, body work, energy healing, spiritual connection, reclaiming the deep feminine through connection with the Earth, healing ancestral patterns and more. There is a wealth of wisdom and resources, and diverse options to serve survivors at different stages of recovery. The Facebook group, While We Were Silent, nurtures hearts and broadens our understanding of how survivors can overcome biological responses of the nervous system to trauma, release internalized shame projected on them by the abuser, andgrieve the losses of abuse. At varying stages of recovery, some raw and others thriving, the community is generous with reaching out, connecting and supporting each other.Bearing witness with kindness and compassion, without trying to "fix," lightens the heaviness of abuse. While We Were Silent is a valuable contribution to healing, moving forward and bringing Love into collective shadow places that have long been buried and neglected. Spiritual bypass will not bring about the transformation we need to heal the Earth and ourselves. By deep diving into the shadow, we can retrieve what has been lost--true esteem and regard for the feminine, for our bodies and for our sexuality being sacred.~ Nancy Kern, Spiritual Coaching and thriving sexual abuse survivor, www.nancykern.com