A Letter for Those Who Have Found Their Way Here.

Dear friend,

If you have found your way here, then chances are life has not gone the way you expected.

Maybe you have experienced abuse.

Maybe life has been tough.

Maybe you just want to be part of a community of people who are here to support you and help build you up rather than tear you down.

Whatever your reason for being here,

I want to say welcome.

You are safe here.

Shatter the Silence began from a dark place - experiences that I should never have had to go through, but that have become the driving force for something really special.

The conversations I needed most were the conversations nobody was having.

You see, silence is where abuse thrives, staying hidden behind closed doors, tired eyes and bruises that go unexplained.

Its purpose is to not only destroy that hiding place, but to open up conversations and create communities of people who will look after each other, share their stories and begin to take the power away from those people who use it to destroy others.

For those of you who have experienced this world, you know how quickly you grow used to carrying the weight of that life on your own.

You learn to minimise what has happened just so you can get through the day.

You learn to question every element of your life - your memories, your emotions and being made to believe that you are too broken for anyone else to want.

You convince yourself that others have it much worse. That as long as you can get through to bedtime, you can cope with it and that really, its not that bad. That maybe it is actually your fault and they are not really doing anything wrong.

I know how lonely that is, how painful that is, and the constant doubt that not only plagues your waking hours, but deep into your sleep as well.

I also know this - healing is possible.

It is not a quick or easy process and neither is it a linear one, but it is possible and every single one of you can get to a place where life becomes worth truly living for you again.

The journey is hard, but believe me when I tell you that life on the other side of it is worth fighting for.

This is why Shatter the Silence was born.

It is a collection of articles, resources, stories, reflections and conversations centred around abuse, recovery, resilience and most importantly - hope.

Some content will feel challenging. Some will comfort you, and some will remind you that although you feel alone, you aren't. And if you ask for help, there are so many people out there who will reach out their hand to lift you up.

More than anything, this is a safe space for you to feel seen.

To feel heard.

In the whole of the universe, throughout the whole of time, there will only ever be one of you. One version that sees the world the way you do. One version that feels the world the way you do. One version that knows how much more you are worth if you can only find the way back to yourself.

This is a place where you can start that journey if you are ready, but even if you aren't - this is a place you can be supported.

Alongside Shatter the Silence you will also find Safe Harbour - a space dedicated to life beyond just surviving.

Whilst understanding that your past matters, beginning to find yourself and love yourself again is that start of the healing process that will help you work towards a future that feels meaningful, joyful and truly yours.

This is only the beginning of what I know will be a very important journey and I hope that you are going to join me on that journey.

Thank you for visiting. Take what you need. Leave what you don't.

And remember, no matter where you are in you story, you never have to walk the rest of it alone.

With warmth,

Rebecca