Christmas invokes so many feelings. As the external temperature goes down, internal emotions tend to rise, bringing it with it anticipation, excitement and for some people – dread. For Survivors of sexual abuse (or in fact any abuse) within a family or close social circle Christmas is often an extremely […]
Kasia and Rebecca have just finished facilitating our Autumn Women Survivors Group Psycho-Educational Course – a ten week topic based course for Survivors of Sexual abuse as a young person or child. The course has gone so well and we are so proud of all the women who attended. We […]
We had such a great workshop on Saturday 9th November for Survivors and their Supporters called “Tackling Triggers Together” A Workshop On Finding Confidence Around Shame, Feeling Overwhelmed, Sexuality, And Loneliness For Survivors Of Sexual Abuse And Their Supporters. Thank you so much to everyone who came and who was […]
For those of us who are Survivors it can be very hard to reconnect with our body. This could be because as the abuse may have affected us physically, we can feel very confused about how we feel about our bodies – possibly loosing contact with that part of ourselves […]
We are delighted to have been chosen as a project for the Co-Op Local Community Fund. It doesn’t cost you a penny and you can be anywhere in the UK – you just have to request your points go to our cause. Cause Number 93395. Here is the link: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/93395 […]
Sadly, victims of abuse can internally carry the shame that belongs to the abuser. Penny Parks says in her book “Rescuing The Inner Child”: “The aggressor projects the blame and guilt onto the child and the child accepts that projection as truth. It is like life imprisonment for a crime […]
If you are feeling overwhelmed or disassociated perhaps try this technique to bring yourself into the present. Look: Look at 5 things around you: Look at some calming pictures on your phone or perhaps have a grounding image as a screensaver or look at your surroundings and try and notice […]
Grounding can provide us with a really good antidote to the overwhelming feelings of being triggered or when flashbacks of the past occur. Getting Skilled Up In Grounding If you are experiencing feeling dysregulated, triggered or even experiencing a flashback these grounding ideas may help you to feel more stable […]
Healing from a trauma such as sexual assault or abuse happens in stages. For some people after the trauma they shut down the feelings and these only re emerge many years later. Then, sometimes, all those feelings come roaring back. When the fear, the anger, the sadness, the helplessness, the […]
If you are feeling overwhelmed by flashbacks and body sensations about your past trauma then this reminder from Carolyn Spring on how her therapist helped her might help you: Start to hold onto the knowledge that “It’s not happening now” “Those words – it’s not happening now – used to […]
Enjoyed the Olympics? One of our favourite moments has to be Keely Hodgkinson getting her gold in the 800 metres. Running further – but probably not quite as fast is our supporter Sasha who is running the Dingle Marathon in Ireland on 7th September to raise money for Into the […]
It may be Summer time and everyone’s relaxing but at Into The Light we are planning our Autumn Events. We are organizing the assessments for our Into The Light Women Survivors Group Psycho-Educational Course which starts in September. It is pretty much full but please do email us for more […]
When we are feeling triggered we have to tell our minds and brains that we are safe in the present, and using a script can help us do this. You might want to write your script out on a card or on your phone and keep it with you so […]
Sadie and Nicky Two of our Trustees are embarking on an incredible challenge to Fund Raise for Into The Light. Starting on 1st of October they will be setting out to complete This is an awe-inspiring challenge and we know that they will smash it – and also look fabulous […]
Thirty Years And Counting Of Working With Survivors In 1993 when Whitney Houston was topping the charts with “I Will Always Love You” I co-started a project for Survivors of sexual abuse. That was 30 years ago and I am still heavily involved and wearing heavier make up! The project […]
A Workshop On Tackling: Shame, Self Loathing, Spacing Out, Sexuality and Significant Others For Survivors Of Sexual Abuse And Their Supporters Date: Saturday 22nd April 2023 Time: 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm Venue: This workshop will be held on line. We will be focusing on how being abused may impact certain […]
We would like to wish you a Happy Christmas after another challenging year for many of us with the tail end of COVID impacting many of our group members and clients as well as our Counsellors and with the rising cost of living impacting many of us However, we are […]
We are very excited that Sarah Gilbert is undertaking the Brighton Marathon to raise funds for us at Into The Light. This will be on 12 September so please do sponsor her if you can. The money raised will go towards supporting Survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse in their […]
We are just taking this opportunity as it is Christmas time to send you our thoughts from the Into The Light Team in this blog. We are aware that the Christmas season can be a time of mixed feelings and memories and some emotions can be particularly strong. In this […]
As lockdown for some of us is easing, it does not come without risk. Survivors may feel that given the past trauma where trust has been betrayed, risk in itself can feel extra worrying and it may take us longer to be able to trust that the risks we are being encouraged […]
Firstly, I want to start with compassion for those you have taken – did you need to be so cruel ? You have caused pain and grief beyond, gaps for love ones that will never be filled. You have placed fear in people’s hearts causing distress as you invisibly traumatise […]
During the coronavirus emergency: staying safe and sane in the shutdown Here’s more lockdown advice and suggestions for survivors during the coronavirus emergency, following on from our previous lockdown advice ‘During The Coronavirus Emergency’. We are now two months into the lockdown and we wanted give you a few more […]