In this episode, Amanda and Kate engage in a candid discussion about their personal journeys of healing from rape. They discuss how hard it can be to find safe people to talk about their experiences with, the challenges of trusting others and how trauma impacting their ability to trust themselves and their intuition. They also discuss the realities of living with PTSD and their healing journeys.

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In this inaugural episode of Survivor Talk: Healing from a Thousand Cuts, Amanda Durocher and Kate Chisholm share why they decided to start a podcast about the realities of healing from sexual violence. They talk about their own personal healing journeys, explaining the societal barriers that survivors face, and the lack of open discourse surrounding the daily realities of living as a survivor. Kate and Amanda discuss how they feel about the word “survivor”.

They also engage in a light-hearted Q&A to provide listeners with a sense of who they are beyond their experiences, touching on topics such as where they grew up, favorite travel destinations, favorite self-care, and more. Join Kate and Amanda as they dismantle the silence surrounding sexual violence and begin their journey of survivor talk.

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Welcome to Healing from a Thousand Cuts, Survivor Talk.

We are Amanda Durocher and Kate Chisholm, two rape survivors who met in a support group and have decided to share with the internet what we have shared with each other on this topic- our healing journeys, our struggles, our triumphs, our open conversations and musings, and a bit of a dark sense of humor to cope with going on in this world after enduring this particularly unique and devastating trauma. While we know that rape is obviously a sensitive and personal topic, we also feel that without being brought into the light, and without having blunt discussions about the way that rape shapes ourselves, our lives, and our world, sexual violence will continue to thrive in silence. Given that one third of the world has experienced this trauma, we think it’s a little crazy that it’s still a taboo topic with taboo language, and we want to change that- because no one should have to heal in silence, shame, or isolation.

Although this topic can be heavy and dark, we are taking the approach of talking about this by not shying away from sharing some of what our therapists would probably tell us should be “inside thoughts”, wild stories from our lives that brought us to this moment, and other thoughts that are deeply honest about the state of rape in our society today, truly depending on how we’re feeling on the day that we record them. I believe Amanda’s last mood while recording was, “I want the world to burn”. But some days we’re actually really hopeful! So if you can relate to ANY of that- being a survivor, wondering if things get better, wondering HOW things get better, looking to feel less alone, or just looking for a laugh on a dark topic as a light in the dark, we’ve got you covered.

Listen to Healing from a Thousand Cuts, Survivor Talk every Thursday.