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At 21, Tressa was drugged, abducted, r**ed, and nearly strangled to death by a stranger. She was left barely alive.

Tressa talks about what survival really looks like after something like that. Not the inspirational version. The real one — the fear, the anger, the way your whole sense of safety disappears.

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 – What is it like to survive being abducted, drugged, raped, and strangled twice?

00:03:33 – What happened at a work party that led to a violent assault?

00:06:23 – How can someone be drugged at a bar by a coworker?

00:09:45 – What does it feel like to regain consciousness during a sexual assault?

00:12:09 – What do predators say during an attack to psychologically dominate their victim?

00:14:49 – What kind of long-term physical damage can violent rape cause?

00:16:02 – What does fight, flight, or freeze feel like during a life-threatening assault?

00:17:15 – How can something as small as a worn-out belt save someone’s life?

00:18:37 – Why do some victims pretend to be dead to survive?

00:22:22 – Why would an attacker leave to dispose of a body they believe is dead?

00:25:24 – What happens when a roommate unexpectedly interrupts a violent assault?

00:31:35 – What is it like telling your father you’ve just been raped?

00:35:29 – What happens during a rape kit exam at the hospital?

00:37:23 – Why does a sexual assault exam feel like a second violation?

00:40:56 – Why are sexual assault survivors forced to repeat their story over and over again?

00:42:48 – How do investigators sometimes gaslight sexual assault victims?

01:23:47 – How did trauma impact her romantic relationships years later?

01:25:08 – What happens when DNA evidence confirms your attacker’s identity?

01:35:01 – Why do survivors blame themselves for taking a drink or what they were wearing?

01:39:27 – What was the plea deal offered to the man who drugged and raped her?

01:40:48 – Why did she need multiple surgeries and eventually a colostomy bag?

01:41:00 – How does it feel when the justice system minimizes your trauma?

02:02:41 – What sentence did the attacker receive and how long did he serve?

02:03:02 – Why doesn’t she resonate with the word “survivor”?

02:10:16 – What happens emotionally when your attacker is released from prison?

02:11:22 – How did PTSD resurface years later during the pandemic?

02:11:59 – How do you cope knowing your attacker is living in the same city?

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