I created this list because I haven’t seen anything else like it. I didn’t want it to be a big dump of links so I added little descriptions to each one so you can better find what you’re looking. I don’t really know what to say other than “you’re not alone” and “it’s going to be okay” and also “hi you have a safe place on my blog if you want to follow it but it’s okay if you don’t.”
You don’t have to be an incest survivor to use these resources, also. Hopefully this list can be helpful to everyone. Please share and boost it if you can!
Websites to check out:
Note: All of these spaces are inclusive of LGBTQ+, POC, disabled, and other marginalized communities.
Survivors of Incest Anonymous: A self-help recovery group modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. To become a member you must be a survivor who is 18 years or older.
Incest AWARE: Has a wealth of survivor-centered resources, especially focused on survivors from marginalized communities. I really appreciate their inclusivity.
Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network: The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Operates the national sexual assault hotline. You will find LOTS of information and resources on this website.
What’s Okay: A website & helpline for teens and young adults. Have all of your questions about “what’s okay” when it comes to sex, healthy relationships, and sexual trauma answered with no judgement at all.
Stop It Now (UK version): A child protection charity that provides support, information, and resources on preventing child sexual abuse and keeping children safe. This is a great resource to learn about warning signs of abuse & other concerning behavior. This organization also provides support services to people who are concerned that they might harm a child.
For Ourselves: Reworking Gender Expression: Provides services and support for transgender/nonbinary people who have experienced any sort of violence or crime. Check out their resources for trans/nb survivors of sexual violence in particular. ️⚧️
1 in 6: Resources, information, and support specifically for male-identifying survivors of sexual abuse. While the focus is on child sexual abuse, they also provide support to men who experienced SA in adulthood. They have a weekly support chat, facilitated by a counselor.
Sibling Sexual Trauma: This site provides resources for those affected by sibling sexual trauma. There’s a ton of information and recovery resources here for everyone.
Beauty After Bruises: Dedicated to helping survivors of childhood trauma receive funding and access to therapeutic support. You can apply for a grant if you are in need. They also have a blog that teaches self-help and coping techniques! It’s one of my favorites.
After Silence: Speak about your experiences anonymously and support others anonymously.
Recovering From Incest: If you don’t know what to check out first, I recommend starting here.
How to Heal From Covert Emotional Incest: (TW) The author shares her story of surviving emotional incest. At the end, you will find a list of books & videos that she found helpful for healing from this type of trauma.
Get Self Help: Probably the largest database of self-help resources I’ve ever found! There’s worksheets, pdfs, videos, audio, all kinds of tips and tricks. Go to this page and click on the subject that you need self-help advice for.
Advice Column: This column offers advice on multiple topics related to preventing and recovering from child sexual abuse. You can also submit your own questions, although I don’t know how quick they are to respond.
Coping skills for complex trauma & dissociation: This link leads to a tag on Beauty After Bruises’ blog. Something I like about their blog is that it’s both informative and also casual. It’s written by someone with DID, and you can really feel that they understand what you’re going through. I found their post on nightmares especially useful!
Safety & Prevention: There are several articles here that give tips on how to stay safe as a survivor, such as what consent looks like and how to protect yourself on social media.
Consent: Even if you feel like you already know what healthy consent is, I recommend reading these pages. I love how they broaden the topic to be about more than just sex.
Sexual Safety At Home: Lots of good, important resources here about safe and healthy sex/sexual behaviors. Learn the GREEN FLAGS of sexual behavior!
Healing the inner child after incest abuse: Learn what an inner child is, how incest affects it, and how you can heal through reparenting. (TW) This one has some brief personal accounts of the author’s trauma.
Why survivors miss abuse: An article about why survivors might sometimes miss or crave being abused. I felt like it was a bit lacking but it’s still a good introduction to this topic.
What’s Okay Helpline: Call, online chat, and email counselors any questions you have about sex and relationships. There is also a large FAQ to check out!
Other Hotlines: This is just a big list of other hotlines that you can call, text, or chat in to receive support.
7cups: I love this website because you can talk to volunteers about basically any sort of non-crisis situation. Get advice or comforting words or just have someone to vent to. It’s free, but you can get access to mental health professionals if you pay.
Just for teens: Resources and support for teens who have or are currently experiencing incest or other sexual trauma.
Books & films aimed at male survivors: These resources are aimed at men, but they can be useful for everyone. Content is divided into different columns so you can easily find what you’re looking for. They are upfront about how they select what they recommend. Each recommendation has a description about why they recommend it. GREAT RESOURCE.
Reading resources on childhood sexual trauma: These resources focus on preventing childhood sexual trauma & also healing from it. Literature is divided into different columns for professionals, supporters, adult survivors, and child survivors. There is also a section for research if you’re interested in that!
Books, children’s Books, & podcasts: These have all been recommended by survivors of incest & other sexual trauma. Only the children’s books & podcasts have descriptions.
SIA’s downloadable literature: These resources are aimed at adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, especially incest. I haven’t read any of these yet but the prices are very cheap!
Recommended books on complex trauma: The books are divided into different columns, and all have short but good descriptions. Check out the column on books regarding trauma’s intersection with race, sexuality, and gender!
Carolyn Spring’s column on child sexual abuse: Carolyn Spring is an author, trainer, and trauma survivor who has DID. Anyone who experiences dissociation will probably find her articles very relatable but also highly informative!
RAINN Bookstore: These are books written by other survivors. This is a great place to go if you want to support fellow survivors or hear their stories.
Free trauma resources: These downloads were created by Carolyn Spring specifically for trauma survivors & professionals who work with them. I got the e-book and it’s been very helpful!
Image ID: Black text over a light pink background. Text reads, “Affirmations for when you want to skip things because of your body. #1 I refuse to miss out on life because of body shame. #2 I don’t want to regret all the memories I didn’t make because I was hiding my body. #3 I deserve to have fun like everyone else. #4 I don’t have to be controlled by other people’s opinions of me.
