by Jacqui Chaplin | Apr 13, 2026 | Article, Jacqui Chaplin, Overcoming Shame & Trauma
Non-consensual touch started young for me. I had to kiss or hug my uncles and aunties when I saw them… and, because ‘she meant well’ and ‘it’s how she is’, it was okay for my Italian neighbour to pinch my cheeks – hard! Fortunately for me, while those things were...
by Lakota | Apr 13, 2026 | Article, Lakota Fredette, Overcoming Shame & Trauma
I knew when I was three. My mom always told me that if anyone ever asked to see or touch my body to tell her immediately. Always come and tell. When I was three years old we lived with my parents friend who had teenage boys. They were babysitting me, and they brought...
by Tosh Patterson | Apr 13, 2026 | Article, Overcoming Shame & Trauma, Tosh Patterson
Why do some women struggle to say no to unwanted touch? My reflections on a lifetime of boundary violations – from forced childhood hugs to ignored sexual boundaries – and how early experiences teach us our bodies aren’t our own. If you’ve ever felt unable to protect...
by Kaylea Forsythe | Apr 13, 2026 | Article, Kaylea, Overcoming Shame & Trauma
I went to college a virgin. I’ve written about this in previous blogs. I was ashamed and felt inadequate. I even wrote to Betty Dodson back when that was a feature on her website, and she gave me the advice you’d expect. Be sexual with yourself first; partner sex can...
by Forest | Apr 13, 2026 | Article, Forest, Overcoming Shame & Trauma
When I was 17, my mom’s boyfriend’s 15 year old son climbed on top of me one night and started kissing me. His actions would launch a short affair that was, for the most part, my sex education – the ground for which I learned things about sex I hadn’t known...
by Susan | Apr 13, 2026 | Article, Susan
I don’t have any recollection of a time when I was touched without consent. I’ve thought about it. I’ve really looked. Nothing. I know that’s not the story many women carry, and I don’t take that lightly. But when I dug deeper, what kept coming up for me wasn’t touch....
