In the 12th episode of Jada's Advocacy we catch up on Jada's current mental health and why they took a two month break away from making podcast episodes. We also discuss some of the green and red flags when it comes to coping through trauma, and we hear that the host is training to become a certified peer counselor.

In today’s episode we spend time tackling some of the harmful myths around child sexual abuse and other forms of child abuse. We touch on a wide variety of different myths like how we believe strangers are the most likely to abuse children, that boys can’t be sexually abused, and that children false reporting CSA is happening at high rates. By us continuing as a society to treat these myths as fact we in turn leave many children and survivors of child abuse with detrimental lifelong suffering and adds to the continued stigmatization of abuse survivors and their experiences.

Trigger Warning: Topics include child sexual abuse, physical child abuse, emotional abuse, victim blaming, and possibly other sensitive topics.

References:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/104380

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/21/04/effect-spanking-brain

https://www.nsvrc.org/publications/articles/false-reports-moving-beyond-issue-successfully-investigate-and-prosecute-non-s

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21164210/

https://www.nationalcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/child-sexual-abuse-myths-Attitudes-beliefs-and-individual-differences.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34134556/

Today's episode is the continuation of E7. We take a deeper dive into how and why I decided to go no contact with my bio mother, we hear how my issue with anger leads me to reach out to my abusers and break no contact over and over. I discuss how many of my family members made the choice to abandon me with my abusers and remain in no contact. Instead of offering me the support all CSA survivors desperately need and deserve from their loved ones. We also briefly hear me talk about the relationship I have today with my bio dad.

Trigger Warning- Topics include, child sexual abuse, child death, emotional abuse, child abuse, cps, incarceration, sex, victim blaming, and possibly other sensitive topics.

Let's chat about life, grief, bad parents, going back to therapy, being scared of reporting and so much more! Today we talk more about what life looked like while having extremely abusive parents. We also find out.....SURPRISE.....I reported my parents for child sexual abuse about two months ago. I touch on my feelings of anger, and how because of the stress and anxiety after reporting, I ultimately decided I needed to commit to weekly therapy.

PSA: My step dad never "broke his hip", he had hip surgery!! Silly brain!

Trigger Warning: topics in today's episode may include sensitive topics for some viewers such as child sexual abuse, mental health struggles, and more.

What is COPD?:

https://www.cdc.gov/copd/infographics/copd-awareness.html

Today's episode we talk about what no contact is, what it looks like and how going no contact from abusive parents, partners, and friends can sometimes help us heal the relationship.

The host shares a little about their personal experience going no contact with their bio mom and stepdad. Catch our next episode to take a deeper dive into how they were able to cut contact for good despite having strong trauma bonds.

Trigger Warning- Briefly mentions CSA and Molestation

https://cptsdfoundation.org/2023/01/30/family-estrangement-going-no-contact/

https://psychcentral.com/pro/recovery-expert/2019/06/going-no-contact#1

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

In Episode 5 we hear a little bit about a traumatic sexual assault I survived at age 17 at the hands of my best friends 27 year old boyfriend. Listen to how I decided 5 years after the assault I was ready to report the man to the police, and how the age of consent laws kept me confused and silent as a teenager.

TRIGGER WARNING- Explicit details involving rape and sexual violence, mention of drinking and driving, underage drug use, and other topics that may be triggering for some listeners. Keep this episode away from small ears.

For legal purposes I will be censoring the legal names of the predator throughout the episode, if you live or have lived in Oregon specifically in the Gresham, Portland, Beaverton areas. I will gladly send you his legal name. Please reach out on TikTok @jadas.advocacy

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29333937/#:~:text=The%20mean%20prevalence%20of%20sexual,sexually%20victimized%20in%20the%20future.

https://www.oregon.gov/OBLPCT/Documents/Mand_Rep_ChildAbuse_Age.pdf

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02018/full