On August 17th, it was officially Break The Silence Day in Minneapolis, MN, as declared by the City Council. As many of you know if you’ve been paying close attention to my various posts and blogs, what I posted on Facebook wasn’t a big surprise.
On my Facebook page I said:
Today, 8/17, is #BreakTheSilence day in Minneapolis, MN. In solidarity with the many sexual abuse survivors in the world, I publicly acknowledge that I am a sexual abuse survivor.
My father, my grandfather, and a babysitter abused me, all before I was 8 years old. As a college freshman I was raped by a fellow college student. What I remember most about that event was going back to my dorm room in tears and immediately getting in the shower and taking a very long, like 2 hours long, shower in the women’s bathroom at 2 in the morning. I felt so dirty. I wondered if I would ever feel clean again.
Breath into my truth. Let the trauma be released. Realize I have broken the silence. I have survived. I did nothing to deserve any of it. I am still here and I can speak my truth.
Namaste.
What surprised me more than making the post, was the 55 supportive, kind, loving comments that people made. And the 122 Likes, Loves and Sad faces that people clicked. Intimacy is one of the big prices I’ve paid for surviving as much abuse as I have survived. I hold people at bay. So when that many people, many people I personally know and have met, had kind words to say, I was surprised. And happy.
In reflection, I breathed and felt very loved and supported. It made me reflect on all the healing I’ve been blessed to be able to do in this lifetime.
One of the powerful healing experiences I’ve recently had was attending a nine-week Renewing Life program. I did this in the spring of 2015. I was so moved by the experience, that I decided to go through the training to become a Renewing Life facilitator.
What happened for me during my experience of Renewing Life is that I remembered how important it is to keep my daily stress levels low. I remembered the vital importance of regularly using the tools I know that help me stay connected to Spirit and to my body and to my emotions. Seems obvious, but for those of us who have known trauma from a very early age, it’s really easy to forget. In the context of a circle of fellow women who have survived, I learned and was reminded.
That’s why I’m so fortunate to now be able to offer Renewing Life this fall. We will begin on September 20th, 2016. My dear friend and colleague Alex Acker-Halbur and I are co-facilitating a round of Renewing Life for any woman who lives in the Twin Cities area and would like to learn more about reducing stress and living more authentically every day! Check out this page and learn more! Thanks for spreading the word!
In gratitude and love,
Mari
I’m honored to know you, Mari. Your words, written from your soul, are amazing and pure. Please continue being you, you are truly gifted.
Lisa,
You are very kind. Thank you.
Mari
Oh, Mari, you are brave and wonderful! What a great and powerful force you are and will be for others’ healing.
Mari,
You are very kind! Thank you.
Mari