It’s All in the Embrace
Packing up the car with three small children for an eight-hour drive is no easy task but for Desiree King, it turned into a life changing decision. Earlier this year, Desiree made the long drive to Winnipeg to take part in our five-day Moving Forward workshop. This workshop is dedicated to those who have been impacted by childhood sexual abuse, giving them the tools and a safe space to heal with others who have also experienced this type of trauma.
“I honestly was really scared, and I didn’t know what to expect. I was very closed off and I didn’t know if I really wanted to be there.”
Time and time again over the last two decades, we’ve heard participants bring forward their struggles reconciling with experiences of childhood sexual abuse. In 2020, RTS launched the first Moving Forward workshops to deal directly with this issue. Sadly, sexual abuse impacts all communities and as a result we’ve had participants share this from areas all over Canada. This has included participants of all kinds, male, female, Indigenous, non-Indigenous, parents, grandparents, teachers, executives etc. They have shared with us how difficult it is to not only deal with the shame, anger, sadness and betrayal but to reconcile with the fact that these events even occurred in the first place.
“You don’t want to think this happened to me and you question yourself, ‘Why? What did I do wrong?’ and you’re stuck.”
In a safe space, participants are given the tools to not only address their past, but to create peace for themselves moving forward. They are able to look at where the past shows up in their lives now, whether it be in their parenting, relationships, work etc.
Just as the effects of residential schools carry on today, the impact of any painful event can have ripple effects for years to come. Like many survivors of sexual abuse, Desiree shared her struggles with showing affection and love towards those she loves the most.
“Being able to hug my kids, that was one of the things I struggled with prior to this, and sometimes I still struggle with it, but you know what, I’m able to embrace my kids. I’m able to give them that love that they didn’t have prior. I’m able to hug them and actually mean it.”
After five days of intensive, experiential work, we’ve seen our participants go from feeling stuck, disempowered, and lost to creating peace and healing for themselves and those around them. While Desiree’s goal was to be able embrace her children, her incredible self-work led her to embracing even more.
“I blamed myself and I couldn’t forgive myself, but now that I’ve forgiven myself, I’m learning to live again and that’s the biggest thing that I’ve taken away from it, is learning to embrace who I am.”
If you or someone you know has been impacted by childhood sexual abuse, please visit our Workshop Info page for more information on our Moving Forward workshop.
A sincere thank you to Desiree for participating in our workshop and for generously sharing her experiences with us. We are inspired by your courage and vulnerability.
Thank you to the Winnipeg Foundation and Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority for supporting this workshop and our participants.
