Memoirs and Storytelling

I have always appreciated storytelling. Across every decade of my life, I have either listened to or read stories out loud to my children. Even as I learned to become a hypnotherapist, I discovered the wonderful art of hypnotic language and crafting metaphor loops. I love being mesmerised and visualising the stories as they play out on the page in front of me, through audio, or on a screen.

In this week’s blog, I’m going to talk about the roles that I see memoirs and storytelling play to raise awareness and foster understanding of the family and societal taboo – sibling sexual abuse:

1. Humanising the Experience:
   • Personal narratives humanise the experience of survivors by putting a face and a story to the statistics.
   • Through storytelling, survivors can share their lived experiences, emotions, and struggles, helping others empathise with their journey and challenges.
2. Breaking the Silence:
   • Sibling sexual abuse is often shrouded in secrecy, self-blame, guilt and shame, with survivors feeling isolated and unheard.
   • Memoirs and storytelling provide a platform for survivors to break the silence, share their truth and demystify the circumstances that surround sibling sexual abuse.
3. Raising Awareness:
   • Memoirs and storytelling raise public awareness about the prevalence and impact of sibling sexual abuse, helping to dispel myths and misconceptions.
   • By shedding light on the realities of the experience, survivors can educate others about the signs, effects, and consequences of sibling sexual abuse.
4. Empowering Survivors:
   • Sharing their stories can be empowering for survivors, as it allows them to reclaim their narratives, validate their experiences, and advocate for change.
   • By speaking out, survivors inspire others to find their voice, seek support, and take action towards healing and justice.
5. Encouraging Dialogue:
   • Memoirs and storytelling encourage open and honest dialogue about difficult topics, facilitating conversations within families, communities, and society at large.
   • By fostering dialogue, survivors can challenge stigma, challenge victim-blaming attitudes, and promote understanding and empathy.
6. Educating Professionals:
   • Memoirs and storytelling can also educate professionals, including medical practitioners, psychologists, social workers, educators, and law enforcement, about the unique dynamics of sibling sexual abuse and the needs of survivors.
   • By sharing their experiences, survivors can inform and improve the response and support provided by professionals.
7. Advocating for Change:
   • Memoirs and storytelling serve as catalysts for advocacy and social change, influencing policies, practices, and attitudes towards sibling sexual abuse.
   • By sharing their stories, some survivors become activists for legislative reforms, better support services, and prevention efforts to address the root causes of abuse.

Our memoirs and storytelling are powerful tools for raising awareness, fostering understanding, empowering survivors, and driving positive change in addressing sibling sexual abuse.

Through our writing or verbal storytelling, survivors can amplify their voices, connect with others, and contribute to a collective effort to create a safer and more supportive world for all.

To me, writing and later narrating Resolve was an act of self-love and sharing realistic hope.

In the introduction of Resolve (page xiii), I shared that I would love to think Resolve could:

• change what’s happening right now or in the future for one child;
• help to understand how it begins and change the ways in which families operate and communicate important issues;
• make one parent more aware of what might be happening now in their home and think to check on that closed bedroom door;
• help one other adult survivor say, ‘Thank God! It wasn’t only me’; and
• give options and information to others who want to understand their partner, family member, friend or anyone who has survived sibling sexual abuse.

Resolve is a memoir, storytelling, educational resource, and guide for all readers now and for generations to come.

Experts in the field have told me that Resolve is ground-breaking. It is the first memoir written and released by an Australian survivor specifically focused on sibling sexual abuse. I’m happy to believe that and say thank you.

My blog is published weekly at www.aliceperle.com.au/blog, and you may subscribe to receive the weekly article directly in your inbox.

With love,

Alice