User Profile

Hi! My name is Celeste, and I am an incest survivor.

I am also an active member of Birdsong. The Birdsong Organization is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, free-thinking organization created by and for Women with a history of incest/childhood trauma. We hold weekly, facilitated, peer-empowerment groups cushioned by an atmosphere of trust and safety. Our regular weekly meetings are held Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm on the First floor of The New York Academy of Medicine located at E 103rd Street & 5th Avenue in New York City. 

Several years ago, I was a IV drug addict, shooting hundreds of dollars of heroin in my veins. I was hopeless and isolated. I thought this was simply my lot in life, that happiness was something in fairytales.

Today through understanding that my PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) has certain symptoms that can be controlled with the love and understanding from the other ladies in my support group, by finding a competent therapist who is a "good fit" for me and finding the rignt substance abuse treatment programs for me I am slowly learning to see each day as a gift. Having other women who I know have been through similar experiences is truly a comfort, where I had feared there was none.

I decided to start keeping an on-line journal of my life as a survivor of child abuse, to help myself grow and heal as well as in an attempt to show the people who aren't yet ready (for reasons of geographic or emotional isolation) to attempt this journey, that recovery from early childhood trauma is possible!

I'm hoping that at least one person will see their own reflection in my pain, will find camaraderie in our mutual betrayals, and will find hope and encouragement in my progress. Also I'm hoping to enlarge my support group to you readers, the "virtual" members of Birdsong . . . we all need all the help and support we can get. If you are a member of our sisterhood and are in the NYC area on a Thursday evening, please visit us - walk-in's particularly encouraged!

I'm slowly learning I'm not that same scared, abused and abandoned little girl I once was. I can and will some day be a strong, intelligent beautiful woman, who is learning to make decisions I can be proud of. . . . I can be as happy as anyone and so can you!

Love, Your Sister Survivor,

Celeste

1. Yes, this journal used to live someplace else but was moved over to LJ.



2. The Birdsong Organization (http://birdsongorg.tripod.com) is a free, not-for-profit, non-sectarian free-thinking, peer support group by and for Female Incest/Child Sexual Trauma Survivors with regular Weekly Support Groups on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
   
   Our meetings are held Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm on the First floor of The New York Academy of Medicine (http://www.nyam.org/) located at E 103rd Street & 5th Avenue in New York City. This is a facilitated peer support group.
   
   These are NOT a closed meeting – new members & walk-in's particularly encouraged!
   
   Birdsong warmly welcomes ALL adult women regardless of race, age, religion, employment, health status, sexual orientation, economic status, educational background, recovery status, or any of the other myriad of “artificial” division that society may seek to impose.
   
   Birdsong does not subscribe to any particular ideology, therapeutic or otherwise.
   
   Instead we make the assumption that all people are intelligent and fully capable of deciding what they want from life. The problem as we see it is in the getting to your destination, not that you have somehow picked out the "wrong" one.
   
   Birdsong accepts people where they are and then we all work together so that each individual can get to that place they have decided they want to be.
   
   We also have Phone Support hosted by our members 1-888-6Survivor (1-888-678-7848) and offer assistance in providing survivors with referrals to other appropriate support services, including Mental Health, Medical, Housing and other referrals as necessary.
   
   Birdsong also provides Speakers, Workshops and In-Service Training for Social Service, Health and other allied organizations. Please contact us at BirdsongOrg@aol.com or ANN.BOYER@mssm.edu if we can be of any assistance to your organization.



3. Images: As far as is know all images used here are either the legal property of The Birdsong Organization or are correctly used with permission for a non-profit, non-commercial site.  If you see an image that belongs to you and should not be here, please contact our webmistress to have the situation rectified.  All images are hosted by the fine folks at www.photobucket.com. And it goes without saying, please do not steal bandwidth by "hot linking" to anything on our site -- thanx.



4. Please remember to always be kind, courteous and thoughtful in your comments.  Even if you strenuously differ with someone else's opinion, always give them the benefit of the doubt, speak from the "I" and state your opinions with kindness in a positive manner.  Remember that this is a healing place not a debating society. 



5. No I am not a computer expert, but our kind and talented webmistress &  graphics people are and I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any computer questions you might have.

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