Sometimes Survivors speak in whispers.Sometimes in long pauses, in shaking hands, in misplaced laughter.Sometimes… not at all. But let me tell you so
Sometimes Survivors speak in whispers.
Sometimes in long pauses, in shaking hands, in misplaced laughter.
Sometimes… not at all.
But let me tell you something that experience and sacred witness have taught me:
Even when they can’t find the right words—
they still deserve to be heard.
There are those who believe that healing must be shouted from rooftops, written in bestselling memoirs, or captured in a documentary special. That if the words aren’t intellectual, powerful, quotable… they don’t count.
But Survivors are not auditioning for understanding.
They are reaching for oxygen.
I’ve sat with people whose pain spilled out in ways that didn’t fit the mold.
Who didn’t have access to “trauma language,” who weren’t fluent in therapy-speak or academic discourse.
Who didn’t say “I was violated”—they said “I felt dirty and didn’t know why.” Who didn’t say “I was manipulated”—they said “I kept trying to be good so they wouldn’t hurt me again.”
And every single word was valid. Every silence, too.
It’s time we stop placing the burden of eloquence on those who are just trying to survive.
Let’s not confuse quiet with consent.
Let’s not confuse broken sentences with broken credibility.
Let’s not confuse different expressions with lack of truth.
Your job isn’t to wait for perfect words.
Your job is to listen with your whole self.
We must create spaces where people don’t have to be experts in their own pain to be believed.
We must teach ourselves—and others—to listen for what isn’t being said.
Because too many Survivors walk away from support, from justice, from healing…
Not because they weren’t ready.
But because someone decided that their words didn’t “sound right.”
Let this be the reminder:
Healing is not a performance.
Being articulate is not a requirement for being believed.
And just because someone can’t say it yet doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Let us be the ones who hear people beyond language.
Let us be the ones who say, “You don’t have to find the right words. I’m still here. I still believe you.”
