From Steph

Hi Marianne,
You asked us for stories that had helped us, or others in our lives.
I was working for a Rape and Sexual Abuse counselling service a couple of years ago, on the phone lines.
I was speaking to a young girl - about 14 - who was still struggling with her experience of sexual abuse by her father. She had moved away from her family, and was living with foster parents, a move she found hard, because in her eyes she was responsible for hurting her mother (by telling the truth) and her father was in prison.
She was lonely, frightened and very tired, but could not sleep because of her fears that someone might come and hurt her again.

I sat and listened on the phone for half an hour, and then we agreed that between us we would create a story - a happy one, which would bring her to a place of peace in her mind and enable her to sleep.

By talking gently to her, finding out about the things she loved, we created a wonderful story of a little girl who went walking in the fields near her home, went riding on her horse, had a picnic with her foster mother, then went home to a good meal, and snuggled down into bed with her favourite teddy bear.

At the end of the story, I spoke to her gently, and she did not reply, tried once more, but no answer, all I could hear was soft breathing. She had fallen asleep with the phone on. I gently put the phone down, knowing that, just for now, she had found a quietness in her spirit - that pleased me.
Hugs and love
Steph