"The Younique Foundation hosts female survivors of childhood sexual abuse at The Haven Retreat. From Monday to Thursday, these women gather in the beautiful mountains of Utah to learn, reflect, and rejuvenate." Next week, I will be embarking on a new adventure by attending the Haven Retreat. I leave first thing Monday morning and I will not be returning until Thursday night. I made the decision to go to the retreat after my aunt raved about it. She had told my sister and I about this place over a year ago and it seemed to good to be true. After all, the only expense to attend is the round trip ticket to and from Utah; everything else is paid for. I read up on it and I couldn't believe that there was a foundation out there dedicated to the healing of such a traumatic event as childhood sexual abuse.
My aunt went to the place in March and she was a changed woman. One of the most telling signs of the healing she had done was that she openly acknowledged her own painful past. It was something that had been buried deep within her for almost 50 years but she was able to acknowledge, publicly, what had happened. I had always known about her past because when I was in the hospital after I had been raped, she came and told me about it. Even though I was only 7, I remember how honored I felt that she confided in me. It also made me not feel as alone. Someone else had gone through what I had gone through and has survived. She and I don't discuss the abuse but it has always been a bond that we shared. After she came back and confirmed that the retreat was everything it was cracked up to be, I made the decision to come. On March 19th, I booked my stay.
Over the last few months, I have told people about where I am going. Shared pictures from the site and shared how wonderful my aunt thought it was. I've had passing thoughts about the fact that I would be in Utah for a few days and will have little to no contact with anyone because there is no cell phone service and I will only have access to Wi-Fi once per day. I've thought about how much I would miss Elio and Brenda. I know that not having the distraction of my phone and the internet will be helpful but its also a little scary. The fact that it was months away was helpful because I could delay thinking about it. That's no longer the case. In less than 1 week, I will be in Utah. As a matter of fact, at this time next week, I will be wrapping up my stay. WOW! What did I get myself into?
As we draw nearer to my departure date, my nerves and anxiety increase. As I type this, my heart is starting to beat faster. I have no clue what to expect. My aunt's stay and my stay will differ because we're different people. Reading about the place and the survivor stories can't really prepare me. I won't know until I get there. The only thing I can do is think about what I hope to get from the experience. I possess so many characteristics that are similar amongst sexual abuse survivors, how much of who I am was shaped by that awful day 31 years ago? Will being amongst so many people with similar horror stories help me to continue to heal? I sincerely hope so. I started this path of blogging and self discovery almost 10 years ago. While I've stumbled a long the way and have had set backs, I keep searching for a deeper meaning and understanding of myself. Hopefully, this retreat will assist on this journey.
As always, thanks for reading and take care.
My aunt went to the place in March and she was a changed woman. One of the most telling signs of the healing she had done was that she openly acknowledged her own painful past. It was something that had been buried deep within her for almost 50 years but she was able to acknowledge, publicly, what had happened. I had always known about her past because when I was in the hospital after I had been raped, she came and told me about it. Even though I was only 7, I remember how honored I felt that she confided in me. It also made me not feel as alone. Someone else had gone through what I had gone through and has survived. She and I don't discuss the abuse but it has always been a bond that we shared. After she came back and confirmed that the retreat was everything it was cracked up to be, I made the decision to come. On March 19th, I booked my stay.
Over the last few months, I have told people about where I am going. Shared pictures from the site and shared how wonderful my aunt thought it was. I've had passing thoughts about the fact that I would be in Utah for a few days and will have little to no contact with anyone because there is no cell phone service and I will only have access to Wi-Fi once per day. I've thought about how much I would miss Elio and Brenda. I know that not having the distraction of my phone and the internet will be helpful but its also a little scary. The fact that it was months away was helpful because I could delay thinking about it. That's no longer the case. In less than 1 week, I will be in Utah. As a matter of fact, at this time next week, I will be wrapping up my stay. WOW! What did I get myself into?
As we draw nearer to my departure date, my nerves and anxiety increase. As I type this, my heart is starting to beat faster. I have no clue what to expect. My aunt's stay and my stay will differ because we're different people. Reading about the place and the survivor stories can't really prepare me. I won't know until I get there. The only thing I can do is think about what I hope to get from the experience. I possess so many characteristics that are similar amongst sexual abuse survivors, how much of who I am was shaped by that awful day 31 years ago? Will being amongst so many people with similar horror stories help me to continue to heal? I sincerely hope so. I started this path of blogging and self discovery almost 10 years ago. While I've stumbled a long the way and have had set backs, I keep searching for a deeper meaning and understanding of myself. Hopefully, this retreat will assist on this journey.
As always, thanks for reading and take care.
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