Not a Political Statement
I wasn’t going to write anything about this, because I never want my website or my podcast to become political. That’s never been the point. Trauma and CPTSD don’t belong to one party or ideology. They don’t check voter registration. They show up in bodies, in relationships, and in quiet moments when the noise dies down.
Power, Silence, and Pain
Sometimes, this isn’t about politics. It’s about power, silence, and whose stories are believed, or ignored. And when that lands on a survivor, it’s impossible to look away.
I’ve spoken about this before on Healing Out Loud. In Season 1, in an episode titled “Surviving the Epstein Files: When the News Hits Too Close,” I explored what happens when headlines land directly in the nervous system of survivors.
When News Feels Like Threat
For many survivors, stories like this don’t register as “news.” They register as a threat. As a reminder of things we already learned too early: that power often protects itself, that harm can be hidden in plain sight, and that accountability takes it’s time, if it comes at all.
But this is a topic that isn’t going away, and nor should it. I’m actually glad it’s not because there are survivors out there who still need justice. They’ve been forced to remain silent for far too long, at a cost only they truly know.
The Weight of Being Told to Move On
For survivors, being asked to “move on” or “stop talking about it” often stirs up something painfully familiar. It sounds like minimization. Erasure. Or like being told, once again, that discomfort matters more than truth. And worst of all, speaking out won’t be believed.
The Trigger
I read some of the latest files that were released yesterday, and honestly, I wish I hadn’t. Not because any of it shocked me, and not because I doubted it. I wish I hadn’t because it triggered me.
It brought up that old, familiar mix of anger, grief, and helplessness. And I got upset.
It all hit too close to home, for me, and I know it does for so many others out there as well.
Patterns of Protection
There are countless stories of powerful men who have done unquestionable harm and yet remain protected by the very systems meant to hold them accountable. For survivors, seeing that pattern repeat isn’t just infuriating; it’s actually destabilizing.
It reinforces the message many of us were taught early on: that truth alone isn’t always enough, that status can outweigh suffering, and that speaking up comes with risk. Those lessons don’t disappear just because we’ve done the work to heal. They live in the background, waiting for moments like this to resurface.
Facing Reality
Naming is about the reality. That healing doesn’t require pretending the world is safer than it is. It requires learning how to stay grounded while acknowledging what’s true.
And even in that truth, something else matters just as much: survivors are not imagining this. We’re not overreacting. We’re recognizing a pattern we’ve seen before, one that shaped us long before we had words for it.
Choosing Boundaries and Care
In the midst of all this, it’s okay to step back. To breathe. To protect your nervous system. Healing doesn’t mean turning away from reality, but it does mean choosing when and how to engage with it. You get to set your boundaries. You get to hold your truth without carrying the weight of the world.
And even when the news triggers old wounds, you are not alone. Your survival still matters.
Believe survivors. Protect kids. Stop letting power be a shield.