#Me Too, Phase Two: "Countless survivors of sexual abuse felt their old wounds being slit open with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court While his nomination emboldened many to come forward and say, 'Me, too', his ascension to the bench was a confirmation for many more that the safest option is silence."(PSYCHOLOGY) (Personal account)

• Author: Webb, Suzette
• Position: PSYCHOLOGY

IGLANCE at the clock; I am about 20 minutes into my first therapy session. "Wait a minute, Suzette," Ann says, as she removes her glasses and leans towards me with her forearms rested on her thighs. "You just said you were molested as a young girl, but you just showed no emotion at all."

"It happened a very long time ago. I've moved on. I found the strength to forgive Tim many moons ago. I'm more interested in dealing with the present. After all, time does heal all wounds."

"But consider little Suzette. Think about the knots of anguish and shame in her stomach, how she suffers in silence as she tries to fall asleep that night. Imagine the Academy Award-winning actress she must become by morning."

Ann pauses, giving me the space to revisit this pain. "Time alone will not heal wounds this deep. Healing is a process. You can't leapfrog into forgiveness without dealing with the rage and torment you've held inside for decades."

"Yes, but I'm a firm believer that if it isn't broken, don't fix it."

"Yes, Suzette, but it is broken."

Countless survivors of sexual abuse felt their old wounds being slit open with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. While his nomination emboldened many to come forward and say, "Me, too," his ascension to the bench was a confirmation for many more that the safest option is silence. While the emphasis recently has been placed on a woman's decision to tell her story or to remain silent, the decisions she makes in her healing process may prove to be more important--and challenging.

About 91% of all survivors of rape and sexual assault are women. Forty-six percent of all females experience some form of sexual assault other than rape throughout their lifetime. Furthermore, women are far less likely to report an incident if they know their abuser and, in eight out of 10 instances, the perpetrator knows his or her target. Thus, we find ourselves in a society where sexual assault is the most underreported of all crimes.

Women decide not to report these incidents for a number of reasons. Many live with immeasurable shame, feel partially responsible for their trauma, and play a continuous loop in their minds of what they could have done differently. Others fear being called a liar or being accused of trying to ruin an innocent man's reputation. Some fear retaliation from their abusers. If abuse occurs within a household, many will choose to keep the peace for the sake of their family.

The relationship the...