Painful Topics
“They are all innocent until proven guilty. But not me. I am a liar until I am proven honest.” - Louise O'Neill, Asking For It
This week we had the privilege of having Avara Yaron share on her newly released book, “Girl Submerged.” The book is semi-autobiographical and deals with many themes of love, passion, personal exploration and intimacy. But it also touches on Avara’s personal experience of sexual violence. Here is from Avara in her own words:
“I experienced incest as a child. For years I hid that truth from myself, but the toxic sludge in my subconscious leaked into my life despite my best efforts to have everything look good. Only after years of spiritual and emotional work did I find the courage and centeredness to time travel and retrieve my memories, face them, and begin to integrate them. I spoke about incest only to close friends.
What I have learned during decades as a counselor is how widespread sexual abuse is. Sexual harassment and assault are more common than the common cold. Some unhealthy sexual beliefs and behavior are so ubiquitous they have become normalized, globally. Although a number of high-profile sexual predators have been brought to task in the past year, this is but the tip of the iceberg. It is time for a change, and I feel inspired to speak out openly, to unveil what has been hidden in shadows of shame, and to present some potential solutions.
My novel, Girl Submerged, Book 1, is a woman’s journey of uncovering buried sexual trauma, healing through an intimate relationship, and her resulting spiritual awakening. I didn’t set out to write about sexual abuse or the profound healing power of conscious sexuality, but this story began pouring through me and insisted I write it. Girl Submerged is not only a tale of abuse, but also about pathways towards intimacy and empowerment, articulating what people tend to say there are no words for —spiritual experience, ecstatic sexual experience — in such a way as to give the reader a taste for themselves. My hope is that through the power of storytelling and open discussion, we can begin to create a more sexually-healthy world.”
Thank you, Avara, for sharing with us at The Bridge.
The Bridge Team