Speaking From The Scar Women's Circle

A peer designed and led program for women that have experienced Sexual Abuse during childhood or teen years (CSA)

A program designed to guide you along a pathway from merely existing to flourishing… a pathway to peace.

4-weeks, Online
Thursdays 7-9pm
7th to 28th November 2024

This is…

An opportunity to understand how the residues of experiencing childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are still undermining your experience of life.

Does this sound like YOU? Check off any that apply…

You’ve packed the experiences of your past away in a BOX because there’s nothing you can do about them
You often say ‘It’s OKAY, I’m FINE’
You feel like there’s NOTHING more you can do about it, and you just want to put it BEHIND you… but you keep being reminded about it
You feel POWERLESS like there’s nothing you can do to change your REALITY
You struggle with accepting this happened to you or that others didn’t protect you
You know the CSA you experienced is STILL impacting your life today
You are sick of feeling like your past is all around you
You avoid connecting with (or have trouble connecting with) your feelings

You don’t need to continue to sit in the back seat of the bus of life. With gentle steps that carefully reveal the way forward, you can take the wheel and rediscover and connect with your true authentic self to find freedom and peace.

A little about Karen…

I experienced sexual abuse when I was nine-years-old, and for 36 years I held that story in.

Within my being. Within my body. I never told anyone.

I believed that because the trauma had stopped it wasn’t hurting me anymore. But the freeze response activated as a child was running my life.

I believe that every experience we’ve ever had energetically resides in our body until it is processed.

Minimizing my experiences and attempting to fool myself that what happened was of no real consequence, wasn’t serving me. My failure to acknowledge the depth of my experiences, and trying to ignore them, eventually came back to bite me. There were times when my emotions would erupt unexpectedly and disproportionately. I often felt I had no control.

Speaking about my story of trauma and literally shaking it free from my body has gifted me liberation. Speaking the truth of my experiences has delivered self-acceptance, self-compassion, and peace.

I want that for you too.

For decades I would tippy-toe around other people so I wouldn’t upset them, always being ‘good’ so I wouldn’t disrupt anyone else.

I constantly put everyone else’s needs and feelings before my own.

The roots of my behaviour were deep in my experiences of being sexually abused. The imprint of those experiences held me in a freeze state. But I didn’t know it. I thought I was ‘normal’. I thought my life was ‘as good as it gets’.

Until I learnt how to unwind and resolve the contraction I experienced in my body and in my energy.

I want you to find YOUR resolution too.

Through bringing awareness to what you’re holding that doesn’t need to be held any more.

Through exploring your stories, your narrative, your inner dialogue that chatters away in your mind and forms your beliefs and existence. You’ll examine your inner scripts with love and compassion. And connect with the little girl that experienced so much pain and betrayal. We’ll acknowledge her and offer her love and understanding.

You will have space to express ALL of who you are. You will have permission to speak without censorship, and rant and yell, if that’s what you want to do. And permission to also softly and gently cry if that’s what you want.

ALL of you will be welcomed, to express yourself exactly as you are.

There will be no judgement, no taboos and no stigmas.

You are precious and it’s time to express that to yourself by acknowledging what hasn’t been fully acknowledged from the past, to then allow you to move forward in your life with love and understanding. With compassion and peace. With a connection to all that you would like to call into your life from here.

This program is for you if you want to speak the truth of your experiences, and heal your wounds, so you can ‘Speak From The Scar’.

I will guide you through the practices that have been the most supportive for me in my journey to liberation and wholeness.

They include:

Meditation and Grounding Breath
Writing prompts / Automatic Writing
Listening Circles
Movement
Connecting with feelings
Guided Visualisation

Testimonials

“The benefit of being heard is one of the most rewarding and healing experiences I have ever had – knowing I’m not on my own.” Jane Youngberry, Speaking From The Scar retreat participant

“A beneficial program to help reach the emotions needed to release. To help embrace strength and improve resilience.” Anon, Speaking From The Scar retreat participant

“A rare, beautiful opportunity to connect within and with other women in a raw, authentic and deeply healing way. It’s the most nourishing thing you can do for yourself.” Cassandra Leigh, Speaking From The Scar retreat participant

100% of past participants of the Speaking From The Scar weekend retreat said that ‘Being in a circle exclusively or women that have experienced trauma created connection and sense of safety’. And 100% agreed that ‘Being in a peer-led program is validating and beneficial’.

Pilot discount

This is the first time the Speaking From The Scar program will be offered in this online format and you can benefit from being in this pilot group and receive the full program at half-price: $190.

What you will walk away from this 4-week program with…

Permission to own your story
Validation that your experiences were absolutely NOT okay.
Confidence to explore your feelings
Less of the crap you’ve been lugging around in your emotional back-pack
A roadmap for resolution and peace

It’s time to make the choice to take action and create change. If you want to reconnect with your true self, do some excavation on what’s not serving you and release it, register today.

Take steps to heal the past, and step into the next chapter of a life you’ll want to wake up to every day
Claim your full expression, your voice, your body, your feelings and your Soul
Vision the life you want, not just settling for the life you have
Discover that love, acceptance, freedom and peace are possible
You will experience the safety of a confidential circle of women who are also on a mission to create the life they want without the residues of the past

This 4-week program is perfect for you if…

You’re ready to step away from feeling like life is happening to you.
You often wonder, ‘Is this it? Is this as good as life gets?’
You want to respond to life rather than react to it.
You want to be in charge of your future.
You want to experience a peer-led program for women who have awareness of their experiences and are ready to explore and transcend them within the confidentiality of a safe container of women.

The Speaking From The Scar 4-week program isn’t for you if…

You are experiencing significant mental health challenges
You would easily be activated (triggered) to a state that you can’t manage
You don’t have the capacity to self-manage

This program is not and does not purport to be therapy. This is a compassionate, safe, private and inclusive peer-led program that is intended to complement (but not substitute) professional therapies and mental health supports. Please be aware I am not a therapy professional and lead this program through sharing the learnings of my lived experiences acquired over multiple decades. I acknowledge that every experience of trauma is unique as is every healing journey. The practices in this program are offered to complement other therapies you have or are engaged with – not replace them. If you are under the care of a professional, please check with them if this program would be appropriate for you – I would be happy to field any questions they may have.

This is what you’ll receive:

8 hours of live sessions (over Zoom) Thursday evenings 7, 14, 21 and 28 November, 7-9pm.
Daily practices and meditation recordings
Facebook group for connection throughout the program
Connection with a community of supportive women who also want to explore and release the pain of the past.
This is a safe, private and inclusive peer-led Circle that is intended to complement (but not substitute) professional therapies and mental health supports.

Should you have questions about the content or the structure of the circle, please email Karen Garton at karen@storynights.com.au and I'll be happy to address your questions or concerns.