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Melissa Lombardo: How her Journey of Healing from Sexual Assault Led Her to Help Others Face Past Trauma with Strength and Courage
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Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault.
Trauma can often be suppressed for years until something can cause the past to resurface, forcing it to be faced head-on in order to heal. Over 40% of women encounter sexual assault making it the most prevalent and unreported crime in the US. Today’s guest, Melissa Lombardo knows firsthand the fear that keeps so many from reporting their sexual assault and the lasting trauma that lingers when left unhealed. This week on Journeys Through Change, Melissa and I are talking about how her journey of healing from sexual assault led her to help others face past trauma with greater strength and courage.
Melissa Lombardo knows first-hand the silence surrounding the topic of sexual violence. She experienced a sexual assault during college in the early 2000s and through fear of retaliation, it went unreported. It was not until years later when her family moved back to her hometown that she realized her past trauma was holding her back from moving forward and she needed to do the work to begin to heal.
She soon heard a whisper telling her she needed to get her voice out there so she joined a writer’s group, became a certified sexual assault crisis advocate with the same organization that helped her 20 years post-assault, and recently published Hurt, Healing and Hope – Thriving Beyond Sexual Assault - a book and interwoven performance piece to support the healing of those who have faced their own trauma.
In this episode, Melissa and I discuss:
- The fear, shame, and sometimes denial that prevent so many individuals from coming forward to report sexual assault.
- Finding support in friends and family who hold space for you even before you’re ready to open up.
- The ways that Melissa’s underlying trauma resurfaced in unexpected ways throughout her healing journey.
- How her work in the service of others led her to travel the world and meet her husband.
- Using her experiences to create resources and help others navigate their own trauma.
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CONNECT WITH MELISSA:
Find Hurt, Healing and Hope: Thriving Beyond Sexual Assault and other resources on her Etsy page
STAY CONNECTED:
IG: Noelle Van
IG: daybyday
Facebook: Day by Day
Facebook: Journeys Through Change
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