The Second Wound is a site for survivors of trauma, such as sexual abuse and assault. It was created to address revictimization, a surprisingly common phenomenon in which survivors experience victim-blaming, denial, and similarly damaging responses when opening up about their painful life experiences. In a high percentage of cases, family members, friends, and even some professionals:
– fail to believe the truth
– minimize the lived experiences of survivors
– blame, shame, scapegoat, and / or ostracize survivors
– create smear campaigns against survivors
– exclude survivors from group and family activities
– attempt to silence survivors