This article takes a deeper look into the term "Survivor." According to the article, the word “survivor,"  is now often replacing “victim” in a form of deliberate rebranding to emphasize the person’s resourcefulness rather than their helplessness and the decisions they had made that allowed them to stay safe and sane. However, "Those who have faced sexual violence are so commonly sentimentalized or stigmatized, cast as uniquely heroic or uniquely broken. Everything can be projected upon them, it seems — everything but the powers and vulnerabilities of ordinary personhood." Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/magazine/the-forced-heroism-of-the-survivor.amp.html   projectunbreakable.tumblr.com 21/30

Many studies conducted by New York University Medical Center, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, The Grady Trauma Project, and many others have substantial evidence indicating emotional abuse can be more traumatic that physical abuse. Find out more: http://www.avoicefortheinnocent.org/emotional-abuse-brain/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwldzHBRCfg_aImKrf7N4BEiQABJTPKKYEywOFRTcVVYZnv9FR3kfyLTx_drveAM3nZv_R5YYaAg9a8P8HAQ 20/30

Therapy center Turning Point in York, PA is taking charge during Child Abuse Prevention month, also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. They are focusing on believing sexual abuse survivors. They aim to change the culture of secrecy, guilt, and shame, re-focusing instead on empowering the survivors to talk about the crime. Read more here: http://fox43.com/2017/04/01/york-therapy-center-focuses-on-believing-sexual-assault-survivors-and-changing-culture/ 19/30  

HPF values the stories told by our heroes last week. Stories of hurt, abandonment, fear, loss, as well as finding hope and love in the struggle to overcome abuse. There are many more stories out there, so we would like to continue to spread the message of hope by recommending more stories. Finding Fish: A Memoir is the captivating true story of how Antwone Fisher struggled to cope with child abuse and find healing while serving in the U.S. Navy. Find out more here: http://antwonefisher.net/#! 18/30

Click to View Courtesy of the Joyful Heart Foundation, here is some very informative information!

This will be the hardest piece of writing for me so far in my career, because I will attempt to delve into my own mental illness in an attempt to help those with a mental illness. Especially those who may consider bringing a weapon to school to harm others, or those who do not recognize the bully in themselves. Because I was a bully. And I know how hard and painful it is to be kind to others, when you have not been treated fairly in life from a young age. I would first like to reflect on a book [...]