The Silver Braid Survivors of Sexual Exploitation Network


We believe recovery is necessary if we are to recognize how the aftereffects of sexual exploitation have made our lives unmanageable. We have become powerless over a multitude of symptoms and behaviors. When you are a survivor of any form of sexual exploitation, whether it is incest, date rape, or prostitution, there are many aftereffects. These may manifest in your life in any combination of ways. Think of these behaviors as a constellation of symptoms that until now you might not have been aware of. Eventually, these symptoms create a full-blown syndrome, or disease. Another term for this is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We believe that some, if not all of these behaviors served to distract you from your pain regarding the sexual exploitation. You are not alone. Our program concentrates on uncovering, discovering and discarding aftereffects which no longer serve us. When we are able to act from this place of recognition and understanding, we begin to experience personal freedom. We use the power of the sacred circle, the group, and our Higher Power. We join hands in our mutual pain, and begin to create what we call: “The Silver Braid.” There are nearly 100 possible aftereffects that might be related to your personal history as a survivor. We recommend that you use the checklists and create an inventory of the symptoms that apply to you. This is a personal journey, we are on a spiritual path, and there is no right or wrong way to approach this process. Your recovery journey is just that -- YOURS! Recovery is a path; it is a journey, and not a destination.

	>	Problems with setting boundaries around who we are.
	>	Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening all over again - flashbacks
	>	No belief in one’s own basic human rights; as if we have grown so accustomed to abuse that it seems normal to us.
	>	Difficulty in claiming our own Voice, our right to protect and defend our own best interests.
	>	Taking dangerous high-risks without concern for consequences.
	>	Alienation from the body. Not at home in the body.
	>	Obsessive/compulsive behaviors that serve to medicate our personal pain.
	>	Trust issues: inability to trust, or trusting indiscriminately.
	>	High-risk taking or inability to take risks.
	>	Guilt, shame, self-blame, low self-esteem, feeling worthless.
	>	Feeling of carrying an awful secret. Having a desire to tell this secret and a concurrent fear of the secret being revealed; certainty that no one will listen, or being generally secretive.
	>	Pattern of being a victim, especially sexually.
	>	No sense of own power or right to set limits or say no to sex.
	>	An all-encompassing belief that sex is the solution to all our problems and the way to get everything we need.
	>	Codependent behaviors. Instinctively knowing and doing what the other person needs or wants; putting others needs first.
	>	Abandonment issues. Inability to end inappropriate relationships.
	>	Splitting off during the sex act. This is also known as “The Split,” or disassociation.