Nella’s Story: The Courage to Remember

Nella was five when it first happened.
Too young to understand, too young to even find the words.

The abuse began with a girl, the daughter of a family friend. Later, it continued at the hands of two cousins—one male, one female—stretching across years of her childhood. At a time when most kids learn trust, safety, and play, Nella learned silence.

“There was no language for what I experienced. No education. No awareness. Just confusion… and shame.”

Running Doesn’t Mean Forgetting

At fifteen, Nella left Germany and moved to Australia.
She hoped the distance would make it all disappear.

But trauma doesn’t live in geography. It lives in the body. It waits. And when it’s ready, it finds you—often when you least expect it.

“I tried to forget. I wanted to forget. But forgetting is not the same as healing.”

The Tarot Reader in New Orleans

She was 28 when everything changed.
On a visit to New Orleans, a tarot reader looked at her and said something that cracked her world open.
Memories came flooding back—flashbacks she couldn’t control. Her body remembered what her mind had buried.

That moment became a turning point.
She didn’t run this time.
She reached out.

Two Years of Deep Healing

Nella began therapy soon after—two years of deep, holistic work.
Not just talk therapy, but bodywork. Breath. Inner child healing.
She had to re-meet the little girl inside her—the one who had been silenced for decades.

“My body had been holding it all for me. My breath. My skin. My posture. Therapy helped me come home to myself.”

It wasn’t easy. The flashbacks were real. But now she had tools. Now she had support. And slowly, she began to build safety where there had once only been survival.

From Survivor to Advocate

Today, Nella is still healing—because healing isn’t a final destination.
But she’s no longer hiding.
She speaks. She shares. She supports others who are walking their own path through trauma.

Through social media and community work, she’s become a voice of compassion and truth. She reminds others that healing is non-linear, deeply personal, and that no one should ever have to walk it alone.

“What helped me the most wasn’t fixing everything. It was knowing I wasn’t alone anymore.”

Nella’s Message to Survivors

Be patient with yourself.
Don’t compare your timeline to anyone else’s.
Find people who make you feel safe.
You are not what happened to you.
And you are never, ever alone.

💬 This story discusses childhood sexual abuse. If you are a survivor, please know there is support available, and healing is possible—on your terms, at your pace.