Blog

"It was a feeling of being exactly where I needed to be" - C's Story

A few years ago at a check-up in her doctor’s surgery, C was handed a leaflet about support services for survivors of sexual violence. At the time, C had never heard of Rape Crisis and was surprised to hear the nurse talk about how common these services were.

“I always felt like I was walking about with this massive sign on my head that just said, ‘I've been raped’ and then it struck me how many other people must be feeling that too.”

C had never told anyone about what she had been through as a teenager but she wondered then that it was time to get in touch. Like so many survivors reaching out for support, this wasn’t an easy thing to do.

‘It’s that first really big intimidating step, the fear of the words coming out of my mouth was like admitting to myself what had happened when I hadn’t ever told anyone before, and it was really scary”.

Eventually, C picked up the phone. She was able to attend a drop-in session at her local Rape Crisis the same day, where she knew immediately that she had made the right decision.

“I came in and just instantly felt the comfort, like the feeling of walking into that building and just the atmosphere, the décor, it makes it feel like a nice warm cup of tea or like a gran’s hug.”

“It was a feeling like I was exactly where I needed to be. When you just know that somebody is going to be a really important person to your life, I got that feeling that time when I walked through those front doors. It was really nice to know that I had them behind me, because I had no idea what was coming.”

A few months after C began accessing support for non-recent experiences, she was attacked again. This time, she was referred to Rape Crisis through the police and was put in touch with two workers, including an advocacy worker to support her to navigate the police and justice processes.

“I would never have managed to get through that trial without advocacy support. Even the logistics of knowing how to get there, knowing who you’re going to see when you get there, what you're actually doing when you get to the door, if you go through the main door if you don't. Having somebody there to guide and keep you right, is so, so important”.

When the trial was over, C’s support worker was there to help her start the next steps.

“She assured me that whatever had just happened, whatever I had gone through, it wasn’t going to affect this whole next chapter of my life.”

In the months after the trial, C’s support worker used a combination of talking therapy and practical coping techniques to help C to manage her trauma, but also supporting her through the usual life challenges that become even more difficult in times of distress.

“She helped me learn all of these different coping mechanisms and gave me really good mindfulness techniques. She just really helped me talk through everything that happened when there was nobody else that was going to listen to me.”

“That was also quite a big part of the whole support for me, because I didn’t really understand what you can tell them and what you couldn’t.

“Whatever is bothering you, you can talk to them about it, and they will help you with it.”

Asked what she would say to anyone who might be thinking about seeking support, C is keen to communicate the importance of reaching out.

“Attending any of your sessions is the biggest form of self-care that you can do. Self-care isn’t just making yourself a cup of tea and putting a face mask on. It’s also benefitting your mental health in a way of talking to somebody.”

“The first step is the most difficult one, but once you make that call or write that email or attend that drop-in session, your life is going to get so much easier.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you decide it’s time to take that first step, Rape Crisis will do everything that we can to make sure you won’t be walking alone.

Our helpline is open 6pm - midnight, every night:

Call us: 08088 01 03 02

Email us: support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

Text us: 07537 410 027