Rape Support Group

I'm sorry that, that happened to you.
i have been a member since thursday... everyone seems real nice and all... and everyone ive talked to has been raped (or says so)
now that you mention that.... i can see that being a possible caution
i hope you do decide to join a group.... getting help is essential.
maybe you should try doing an actually "meet in person" group... if they have those??

I've been a member here for a while now and it's helped me a lot. This is where I go when I need to talk because everyone has been so supportive and friendly.
I really hope you have a better experience with this group than you have had in the past.

I joined this group in May after "It" finally started affecting my daily life (after 12 years)! I had never had any kind of trauma counseling before & never joined any kind of support group before either, whether in person or on-line. I liked DS right away. First, I appreciate the anonymity. Next, I found myself identifying with just about every post/story written by others. It was like reading my own thoughts. I had no idea so many other people were going through the exact same thing. It was sad, but helpful at the same time, as I realized I wasn't alone in the "symptoms" I was experiencing. I have found this to be a great group. The people are very supportive and it is very helpful. Of course, I'm sure there are sickos who troll this board for their own perverse amusement. Not much we can do about that. I usually accept friendship requests from people in the same group, but I avoid talking about details. It doesn't seem to come up in our chats anyhow, and that's how you can usually tell that someone is a legitimate member of this group. Sorry you went through all that with your other group. I hope you have a better experience here.

I joined this group a a little over a year ago, and honestly I don't know what I would have done some nights if I hadn't. I was goin through so much at the time; and for a long time, DS members were the only people I really had to talk to. I would like to say that this is a pretty safe group, because I haven't had any problems; and I really hope you find it just as helpful as I did.
;) Good luck :)

Hello. I found this group to be very helpful. Now I am a male rape survivor, but even so, the girls (and some guys) on here are very helpful. Now because I`m a guy and I know that some girls on here are sensitive to guys being on here, I will NOT talk to you if you are uncomfortable with it. I will also try and stay away from your posts and your profile page if you are uncomfortable with that. I just want this to be a supportive group and I would never do anything to jeaprodize that support. But this is a really great group, and I hope that you find as much support here as I have.

Hi LovelyApril & welcome to DS. I've been a member since 2007. My situation and thoughts is very similar to Lunarmodel. I have found this group to be very supportive, kind and helpful. More helpful than any other resources I have previously tried. It's been my saviour in so many ways. I understand your concerns, I had the very same ones but with patience and time and getting to know DS I feel it has been worth it. I've had no bad experiences from DS and feel secure in knowing this can be anonymous, you only have to say what you are comfortable with saying and you have the control to choose how you use the site. You don't have to join in discussions if you don't want to. There is much to be learned from other peoples experiences and feelings without divulging anything about yourself. It's helped me the feelings of lonliness, being 'alone' and knowing that I'm actually 'normal'. I hope your experience is as positive.

Welcome! But do be careful.

As you decide what to say and what not to say, I think it is very important to understand the difference between anonymous and confidential. DS is *not* confidential and it is only as anonymous as you let it me.

In a confidential relationship, only the person or group you are talking to knows what you said. You may have sometimes been in a group where the leader will say "What gets said here, stays here". That is confidentiality.

DS is not confidential. Pages show up in google search results, including the home page for this support group. The terms of use allow any person to download any page for "personal use". Anyone could be reading your posts if they are interested in the topic: this includes your parents, your teachers, your friends, your boss and sicko guys.

You do get some protection from anonymity, but only if you take care to protect it. If you protect your anonymity, then it is possible that even your best friend could read a post and never know it is you.

Protecting anonymity means making sure you avoid giving away personal details or anything else that would help people who know you connect the dots between what they see on line and what they know at home or work or school.

Some examples of things you might want to avoid if your anonymity is important to you:
* using your own picture as an avatar
* using the same user name as you use on myspace, facebook, or some other on line community
* adding personal information to your profile, for example, where you live, your age, your birthday, or your real name.
* making sure your account has a strong password (you can google on the web to learn what that means)

To protect your anonymity it is also important that you avoid giving away personal information even in private conversations. As you have noticed, even people sending private emails can be pretending to be someone they are not.

Best, beth

anonymous as you let it me" should read "anonymous as you let it *be*".

Good point Elisheva. Thanks