Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2725

Tonight's special guest is Annie Handy Prater from Tampa, Florida, abused by her older brother starting at age 7. "My abuse was incest, rape, and there was some torture as well," she says. "The worst feeling I had was FEAR; however, I experienced shame, guilt, hopelessness, helplessness, anxiety, worthlessness, weakness, hurt, despair, and most of the time, I felt empty/numb." She knows there's a lot of work to do. "My healing journey is far from over, unfortunately. I still have a lot of shame and other negative feelings. I am currently doing talk therapy and EMDR with an amazing therapist. I had an open case against my brother for about 7 or 8 months, but they recently decided they cannot take my case. I still have issues with self-harm and overcoming all of the lies that he fed me." Annie explains, "Right now, I post on my Facebook about different feelings and ways of coping (healthy or not) that I have. I just try to be real about my journey. I wrote to the senate and congressman in the state of Missouri to try and bring attention to the shortcomings of the justice system. I have started a book, but who knows if that will ever get published." Annie hopes to inspire others. "It takes such incredible strength and bravery to break the silence after abuse. It is NEVER too late to heal, and if you don't give up, healing exists for every one of us. I know first-hand how painful and lonely and hopeless this journey feels, so please know that there are people out there who will sit with you IN the darkness and be your light. The most important piece I had to learn the hard way is that the only way out, is THROUGH."