Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2620

Tonight's special guest is Jessica Reilly from Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. "I was born in London to American parents who were both adult children of alcoholics", she says. "High WASP and highly dysfunctional upbringing! My father was a pedophile and began abusing me when I was a toddler. The abuse lasted until I was 6 years old - my mother flew back to the USA for her brother's funeral and came back to catch my father in the act of abusing me. He left and my mother pretended everything was OK and refused to address this or any other unpleasant subjects. I learned how to fake everything and wear a mask." She explains, "I learned how to disassociate and compartmentalize at an early age. The abuse started so young I blocked out memories until I was ready to face them and deal with the trauma in middle age. After living in chaos and self-destructive tendencies my entire life, I realized I kept re-traumatizing myself in picking the wrong romantic and business partners." Jessica goes on, "I developed a drinking problem that landed me in evidence-based rehab with the nation's best trauma therapy program. I can't believe I'm the same person...my entire perspective has shifted." As she says, she's growing. "I'm currently working on my first novel - a murder mystery which I hope will bring awareness to this important issue. Pre-COVID, I spoke regularly to local recovery groups and institutions about my journey of recovery and hope." Jessica wants to help others. "It is time to stop the cycle of abuse! We are the lucky ones. We have each other and these forums for support. Our predecessors (and perhaps our own abusers) didn't have that outlet or opportunity. We are too many to be ignored. It is time to speak out and prevent the next generation from the devastating, lifelong effects of child abuse."