I wrote the following quote and created this oil painting during the darker days on the path of my journey of recovery from a childhood rape. I had a recurring nightmare where I would try to open my mouth to scream but my mouth was sealed shut. I think survivors of childhood abuse often feel they had their voice taken from them because they didn't have the means or the environment where it was safe to tell someone about the abuse they endured. It took me years but I found my voice. And the sobering truth is that sometimes your friends and family members don't want to hear your truth. It makes them too uncomfortable. It may even trigger their own traumatic memories. And that's okay. I get it now. Everyone is entitled to their feelings whether or not it is agreeable to me. I no longer need anyone to validate my truth. That is quite liberating.
"I dreamt that I was silently screaming. Struggling to release my voiceless demons."
