Description

Denni Bengston was just 15 years old when she met her abuser. She didn't know it at the time, but he was 4 years older than her. She also didn't know that she was being groomed and coerced into sexual acts every time he threatened her, filled her inbox and voicemail with messages, or separated her from her loved ones. He created a psychological environment that kept her trapped. It wasn't until he was arrested on drug charges and his phone confiscated that law enforcement discovered the true nature of their relationship. Now, Denni comes onto the podcast to share her story with us. She talks about how being a sexual assault survivor as a minor also meant not having the ability to decide whether or not to report or even press charges. She takes us through her journey in her own words — what helped her get through her junior and senior year in high school as her abuser's trial was underway, and how all of this made her who she is today.

Topics/Triggers:

• The difference between grooming and coercion
• Denni's story, specific instances between her and her abuser that added to the mounting pressure to let him do whatever he wanted, and how her parents brought her to the police station one day without her consent
• What it was like to spend most of her adolescence in an abusive relationship and undergoing trial
• How groomers prey upon the naive
• What caused her to stand up to her abuser
• The influence of the police, and how she didn't have a say in what happened in her case
• The backlash from his arrest in their small town
• How online comments on Facebook and news articles affected her
• Survivors losing more of their autonomy after coming out with their story, and why the public backlash leads many to not report in the first place
• Denni's "pre" and "post" abuse selves
• The benefit of physical activities in coming back to our bodies following sexual assault
• Mental health days
• Why our story is our story, regardless of what others say
• Denni's Instagram
• Denni's "m p w r m n t" line

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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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