Trauma · Wear Your Voice Magazine · Women

Shame is on the Other Side: The 10 Stages of “Coming Out” as an Abuse Survivor

“After the Stanford rape survivor released her powerful and detailed victim impact statement, I was inspired to write my own open letter in which I discussed my experiences with sexual and partner violence. In the months since my “coming out” as a survivor — a decision that I did not make or take lightly — I’ve been actively reflecting on my myriad emotions and identifying distinct stages to the process. As with the five stages of grief, this isn’t a linear evolution; I found myself cycling through some of these stages multiple times before the emotion passed. Here’s what to expect.” For Wear Your Voice Mag, October 2016.

Death · Expatria · Florida · Huffington Post · Repatria · Trauma · Wendy · Zuzu Huffington

Jury Duty and the Gun Crime Survivor

“After Wendy’s death I had to testify in court three times against her murderers: The first was the preliminary hearing to determine if the case would go to trial. The second was against the woman who pulled the trigger. The third time I testified was against the murderer’s accomplice.” My 17th article for HuffPost, published in October 2015.