(Topic discusses rape.)
Someone just posted a picture of a woman being raped on my husband’s Facebook page. He wasn’t immediately reachable so that I could tell him. As this picture sat on my sweet husband’s page I wondered how many other people had seen it. I wondered if any children had seen it. The image made me feel angry and violated. I work with victims of crime. Many of these victims have been raped. This reality and image are not new to me AND it feels like a violation. It feels as though someone came over to my home and threw the picture up on a silk screen in front of my house. This is a fascinating reality to navigate. The interwebs can be a beautiful, awe inspiring, connecting, heart-opening place. AND it can also be a dark and horrible place where people are exploited and images are stolen. I am reminded that we must all be vigilant around giving people access to our…lives. And vigilant in our self-care and self -love so that we are grounded in that and not subject to the darkness.
Are boundaries that protect our moral and ethical belief system while still allowing us to participate in the connectivity of social media really possible?
At the very least I am also reminded to educate my littles. Not to teach them to fear or avoid the internet and it’s darkness but to understand the concepts around things that outrage me. To help them build a foundation around empathy and understanding rather than fear and ignorance. I will be vigilant in teaching our littles about consent, love, healthy expressions of touch, varying relational boundaries, self- love and self-worth.
Therapeutically I believe in Prevention before Intervention. This was a good reminder for me and I hope for ya’ll as well.
Keep spreading the love friends.
Peace. Rita
The Imperfect Therapist 