*Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse

While the world is filled with good people who want to help their fellow man, there are also those who wish to do harm, and we often can’t tell the difference. While we cannot prevent such individuals from entering fields where they can access those who are vulnerable, Amudim does everything possible to help the people who have been hurt and to stop future recurrences.

Dina*, now in her late 20s, grew up in a loving and stable home. She began experiencing feelings of anxiety as a teen and started weekly therapy to address it. Recently, after speaking with a friend who had seen an article about new treatments for anxiety, Dina decided to try a more holistic approach.

Dina was referred to a practitioner and was excited to begin this new journey. But this is where the story took a dark, harmful turn. Unfortunately, the holistic “healer” began grooming Dina, manipulating her and playing mind games that eventually led to sexual abuse. When she worked up the courage to call Amudim, Dina was in the middle of extracting herself from this terrible situation and feeling ashamed and dysregulated.

Our case manager saw that Dina needed reassurance and comfort that she was not alone and had done nothing wrong, and direction and support in moving past this painful experience. Together, they reached out to Dina’s therapist and increased the number of sessions to help see her through this crisis. Dina’s case manager also referred her to a psychiatrist to help manage the heightened anxiety and PTSD symptoms that had arisen. This was the clinical piece of the puzzle to get Dina on a path towards healing; we also connected her with a police detective so that Dina could proceed in pressing charges against her abuser, both for herself and to protect him from harming others in the future.

Dina’s story is not over; there is a long way to go to achieve a full recovery from this traumatic episode, but there is also hope that the next chapters in Dina’s life will be better and that she will eventually feel empowered to leave the past behind and move forward.

If you or someone you know is in trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Amudim is just a phone call away and here to help.

*Names and details have been changed for privacy purposes