Am I Broken: Survivor Stories
We sit with survivors of sexual trauma, who share their stories of abuse and healing.
Episodes
37 episodes
S4 Ep2 - Claire "I Ignored It and I Believed Him Because He's the Storyteller [Neil Gaiman]"
Claire (she/her) uses a pseudonym to share her story about being groomed and sexually coerced and manipulated by world-renowned author Neil Gaiman. We discuss the power of stories and fame, and she shares how journaling, therapy, and friendship...
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1:20:21
S4 Ep1 Lindsey - "I Remember Thinking I'm Selling My Soul to the Devil"
Lindsey (she/her) tells her story about being groomed, taken advantage of, and sexually violated by a leader in Canada's psychedelic healing world. Learn how she finally recognized the abuse, and found her way to healing and resolution. In this...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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35:49
S3 Ep8 Kat - "I Certainly Lost Faith in People"
Kat (she/her) shares her story of sexual violation during 4 days of a psychedelic therapy session with a well-known clinician. We discuss the healing she was seeking in the first place, the compounding of trauma, and what she both gained and lo...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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39:41
S3 Ep6 Hannah - "You're Gonna Have to Pay for This"
Hannah (she/her) shares her stories of childhood sexual abuse from several local church leaders in her small town, including her grandfather. We talk about purity culture, keeping secrets, and self-harm. She describes the difficulties of her he...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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1:06:11
S3 Ep5 Pat - "This Person Held the Trust of So Many"
Pat (they/them) shares a story long held secret, about their employer and colleague who offered to be their tantric teacher, then lied and manipulated and abused them. Hear how they healed from the trauma of not just that relationship, but also...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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1:01:03
S3 Ep4 Gabi - "This Has Happened Before"
Gabi (she/they) calls out two local perpetrators - a friend and community leader who sexually assaulted her during a massage, and the CEO of a solar power company who sexually harassed and assaulted her. We talk about failed community justice p...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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53:57
S3 Ep3 Elle - "I Have This Connection With Her, And I'm Betraying Her"
Elle (she/her) shares her story of a sudden betrayal by her eating disorder therapist, a sexualized violation during their last meeting. She describes the conflict within herself as she receives various feedback from family and friends, and the...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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43:30
S3 Ep2 Tom - "Didn't Make Space For Any of My Truth"
Tom (he/him) shares his story of how childhood sexual abuse primed him to be sexually abused by his high school counselor, believing for years that they had a good relationship. He describes how this also set him up to be similarly enthralled b...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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1:09:01
S3Ep1 Lee Anne - "But It Wasn't Over"
Lee Anne (she/her) shares her story of being assaulted on a date with a firefighter. Being polyamorous was one more reason she was reluctant to file a police report. She describes her healing journey, which included support from her husband, an...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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45:29
S2 Ep12 Deborah - "I Didn't Know What I'd Done Wrong"
Deborah, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Addictions Specialist, shares her story of coming to terms with several sexual assaults as well as returning memories of childhood sexual abuse. She details her struggles with no...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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45:33
S2Ep11 Kellie - "He Would Get This Certain Look In His Eyes"
Kellie, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, tells her story of intimate partner sexual violence, including severe manipulation and control behaviors by her boyfriend at the time. We discuss her exit from that relationship, other ...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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42:36
S2Ep10 Rachael - "All of a Sudden It Came Tumbling Down"
Rachael, an LCSW, shares her story of returning memories at age 38, of childhood sexual abuse by her father. She describes her healing journey, including telling her family and cutting off her father, as well as finding wholeness with the suppo...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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1:00:54
S2Ep9 Janitta - "We Are All in a World Full of Broken People"
Janitta, a life coach, shares her story of being sexually abused as a child by various family members, and sexually assaulted and harassed as police officer in adulthood. We discuss the intersection of black culture and sexual trauma, and her p...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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52:50
S2Ep8 Jamie - "I Thought I Had Caused All of It"
Jamie, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Certified Sex Therapist, shares her story of multiple incidents of child sexual abuse and rape as an adolescent. In addition to offering many insights and helpful terms as both a therapist an...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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1:01:37
S2Ep7 Veronica - "Coercion Is Still Rape"
Veronica, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, describes being sexually coerced, manipulated, and assaulted during a long term relationship. She shares how she left the relationship, and how her experiences inform her work as a therapist, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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1:02:25
S2Ep6 Mark - "Because I Didn't Have Power"
Mark, a licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, describes being groomed for years by a teacher, and growing out of the abuse rather than ending it. He shares his own healing journey, including a powerful EMDR therapy session which pro...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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50:05
S2Ep5 Carey - "Someone Else Was Supposed To Protect Me"
Carey, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, shares her story of extensive childhood sexual abuse, amidst a chaotic family environment exacerbated by two addicted parents. She describes her healing journey, including sobriety, and how th...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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57:30
S2Ep4 Grey - "And Now Suddenly I Had Lost Control of My Own Story"
Grey, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, shares their story of childhood sexual violation by an older neighbor, and how they attempted to keep it a secret until sharing with a family member, who reported it to Grey's mother. Grey describes thei...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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1:03:29
S2Ep3 Eric - "I Didn't Have My Own Feelings"
Eric, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (and more, including addictions and sex therapy) shares his story of covert incest, and how he was confronted with his own trauma and worked to heal it. In this episode, he shares a number of va...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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53:27
S2Ep2 Angela - "It Feels Like They're Grains of Sand"
Angela, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, shares her story of a whole spectrum of unwanted and abusive sexual experiences, including date rape as a teenager. She details what was useful in her own healing journey, and how it enables her...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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53:51
S2Ep1 Poppy - "All That Rage Came Out of Tremendous Loneliness and Pain"
As the host of Am I Broken, I share my own story of sexual abuse, fragments that I've recovered over the years, and how the trauma and the healing I've done impact my work as a therapist.
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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57:14
S1Ep17 Bonus Episode 3 - Mapping the Healing Path
Papillon and Andrew discuss the Healing Path - what is it? What does healing look like, and what identifiable steps can it include?
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:05:45
S1Ep14 John - "By Trying to Protect Yourself So Much, You Actually Injure Yourself"
John shares his story of sexual abuse when he was five years old, by a teenage babysitter, and the secondary trauma of his parents refusing to support his recovery. He describes suffering from extreme anxiety, and using opiates to cope, and his...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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37:46
S1Ep13 Tomi - "It Felt Hopeless"
Tomi shares his journey through flashbacks of incest perpetrated by his mother, and additional sexual abuse incidents outside the home. He describes his struggles with substance abuse and the healing and growth he found through Alcoholics Anony...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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36:10
S1Ep16 Bonus Episode 2 - Mapping the Healing Path
In this bonus episode, licensed trauma therapists Papillon DeBoer and Andrew Barnett discuss their work with male survivors, focusing on working with shame and boundaries. These issues are near-universal for all survivors of sexual trauma, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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55:36