A few men loved my mother. One was better than the rest. Today we discuss the Good Stepdad. I compare him to another love of mom's, the First Comedian. My preference, is obvious. Also, a simple acronym - may feel like a tool of suppression, to the survivor. Lastly, how I find hope, in these hard times.
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REFERENCES:
Don McLean, Empty Chairs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDjvPFg9B7Q
Don McLean, Babylon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bnhhbV34nI
Lyrics to Babylon, quote from Bible, Psalm 137: "1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion." The arrangement is from the 1700s, by Philip Haye.
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RE: Silencing survivors, using mechanical tools.
Example: Acronyms in our court system documents, refer to "Child Sexual Abuse" as "CSA" [while comparable crimes, may not be acronymed in same manner, from what I've witnessed] - the placeholding use of acronyms in this context, feels like denial, to this survivor. That choice seems to comfort the non-raped participants, rather than the survivor, in choice, from my perspective.
Salient comparative reference below, with conditions.
Comedian Louis C.K. riff, "The N Word" - "You're making me say it, in my head. The shitty words you want to say. Why don't *YOU* say it instead, and take responsibility."
[NOTE: Louis C.K. is a gifted comedian, AND 5+ people acknowledge his own sexual misconduct. Also, race privilege may be issue, with this particular riff. At the House here, I attempt to acknowledge sometimes multiple feelings, truths.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqwj--wGEgY
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POD DESCRIPTION:
This is the House on Valencia Street. This is a place where ghosts & psychics, with PTSD, exist, & I'm talking about it. Share time with a rare survivor, walking back to haunted rooms and space being claimed from long ago. This is from the survivor's perspective, communicated as I see fit, in a way that feels right, for me.
I do not offer advice here, I share what worked for me. I am not a professional therapist, this is just one case study, one perspective. Please seek professional help, if mental health issues need attention.
Language is explicit, Content Warning: ghosts, psychic ability, rape, incest, foster care, murder, emancipation, BDSM, therapy, lightning strikes, personal responsibility, Buddhism, recovery, codependency, domestic violence - and inappropriate humor, most likely.
Picture inset: This is me, so many years ago, standing in front of my mother's Impala, and the House on Valencia Street.
