At 15 years old on December 18th, 1976, survivor and sexual assault advocate Kris Pedretti was attacked by the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo. Her father told her never to speak about this event again, and for almost 50 years she kept her story to herself. Never getting the chance to speak about what she went through kept her stuck in her “before” state, going through two marriages and becoming unstable and reckless. It wasn’t until Joseph DeAngelo was caught in 2018 that Kris came face-to-face with all that she had kept buried. Join me as I speak with Kris on the anniversary of her assault as she guides us through what helped her heal, what motivates her to keep going each and every day, and how she reconnected with her sense of power.
Topics/Triggers:
A reading of Kris’ victim impact statement, detailing the assault and what happened the night that she was attacked.
The shattering of the facade of the world, and how losing her illusion of safety at 15 robbed her of her innocence and ability to connect with others her age
How she attempted to regain some semblance of control.
How her “after” state started at 54 years old, when the arrest of the Golden State Killer made her come face-to-face with the fact that her assaulter had been alive all these years.
What it was like to be confronted with acceptance and support due to the high profile nature of the case
The value of therapy and the opening of the world to receive her as she is
How rape culture robs survivors of the acceptance they need in their healing journey
The liberation that comes from releasing ourselves from the prisons of our own designs by reclaiming our voice and power when it comes to the worst day of our lives
The fact that safety is the one thing that was taken from a survivor, and that as a result, the survivor is the only person who can decide what to do with their story. Going public or not, reporting or not, there is no right answer.
The value in community and how that led Kris to creating the Facebook Group: Sexual Assault Survivors! It’s Time To Tell Your Story! https://www.facebook.com/groups/timetotellyourstory/?ref=share
What it means to reclaim the date & why hope is what Kris carries with her.
If you would like to connect Kris directly, reach out to her on Facebook.
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If you or anyone you know is suffering through trauma contact the National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or online for 24/7 support. (This podcast is not a replacement for psychotherapy or mental health care. You can obtain a referral for mental health care provider from your primary care physician, or search on Psychology Today’s Find a Therapist directory)
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