[Lori, Exec. Director]

This is from the book, "The Right To Innocence, Healing the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse".

1. I have the right to direct the course of my own life, based on what I feel is right for me, regardless of what others feel I should do. This includes the right to decide what course of action I take to recover (therapy, support groups, assertiveness training, anger release, and so on).

2. I have a right to remember, discover, and tell the truth about the abuse and the abuser, about my parents and family of origin.

3. I have a right to be believed.

4. I have a right to all my feelings (anger, fear, pain, love, joy) and a right to express these feelings.

5. I have a right to confront those who were and are abusive, neglectful, and hurtful to me.

6. I have a right to break free from the negative behavior patterns of my family of origin and to break the cycle of abuse.

7. I have a right to choose the people I will relate to and relate to them in a manner of my choice (emotional or nonemotional, sexual or nonsexual, friendly or impersonal).

8. I have the right to say NO.

9. I have the right to leave the company of any family member or anyone else, temporarily or permanently, who either deliberately or inadvertently fails to respect me as a person or treats me in any way that I don't like.

11. I have the right to privacy and personal space.

12. I have the right to trust my feelings, perceptions, judgment, intuition, and inner experience.

13. I have the right to loving, nonsexual, nonabusive relationships with friends, parents, and children.

14. I have the right to a healthy, loving, sexually exciting, nonabusive relationship with a person I choose as a lover.

15. I have a right to have healthy, happy children who are safe from abuse.

16. I have a right to choose a life-style, including a sexual life-style, that is comfortable for me.

17. I have a right to happiness, love, health, and peace, regardless of the past.

18. I have the right to refuse to accept responsibility or blame for the actions and decisions of anyone except myself.

19. I have the right to decide whether or not I choose to work toward foriving anyone. This includes the right of never forgiving anyone or never telling anyone of any forgiveness.

20. I have the right to develop myself as a whole person, emotionally, mentally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
_________________
Lori Schmitt,
Executive Director, isurvive
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact information:
* Email: isurvive@hushmail.com
* Yahoo Messenger: isurvive_org
* Skype: lori.schmitt
(Download software from Skype website; will need microphone and speakers)