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"The Secrets Inside an Amish Community: One Woman's Story of Survival" – My Interview With Misty Griffin
When Misty was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were basically kept as slaves on a mountain ranch. They were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. The two young girls were too terrified to escape. They also knew that no rescue would ever come because only a few people even knew they existed and they didn't know them well enough to care, so they thought. Then as teenagers, they were adopted into Amish families and things seemed so much better at first but then went from bad to worse.
Misty escaped and is here to tell her story and so much more. She inspires us to stand up for and be committed to protect children from abuse.
The following is just a taste of Misty's thoughts about child abuse and about her commitment to making this world a safer place for the vulnerable and defenseless.
Q: When your Amish abusers confessed, they were excommunicated for a short while and then they were forgiven. What does forgiveness mean to you? Misty: I don't think forced forgiveness is really forgiveness. I believe forgiveness is something that has to come from your heart. It has to be true and it has to be when you're ready.
Q: Why have the Amish been romanticized a lot over time? Misty: The Amish have been romanticized because people literally do not know anything about them. When you don't know about something, you make up your own presumptions.
Q: Why didn't you escape much sooner from your abusers when you had opportunities? Misty: When talking about a child abuse victim, you have to think of it like a domestic violence situation: If victims of domestic violence aren't sure they can get out of that situation, they're not going to talk or even consider an escape.
Q: How has the abuse you suffered as a child influenced who you are today? Misty: When I left the Amish, I told myself that, somehow, I was going to make a difference and put a stop to this abuse.
When I ask if there's one last thing she'd like our listeners to hear, Misty says, "If you suspect child abuse, don't look the other way. Don't think somebody else is going to report it. Don't just brush it off, because it could be a case like mine."
Misty Griffin is the author of Tears of the Silenced: An Amish True Crime Memoir of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brutal Betrayal, and Ultimate Survival, an inspirational story of surviving abuse and standing up for the abused.
About Misty Griffin When Misty was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were basically kept as slaves on a mountain ranch. They were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. The two young girls were too terrified to escape. They also knew that no rescue would ever come because only a few people even knew they existed and they didn't know them well enough to care, so they thought. Then as teenagers, they were adopted into Amish families and things seemed so much better at first but then went from bad to worse. Misty escaped and is here to tell her story and so much more. She inspires us to stand up for and be committed to protect children from abuse.
Find Misty on Social Media: Twitter: @ExAmish101
Misty's Book: Tears of the Silenced: An Amish True Crime Memoir of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brutal Betrayal, and Ultimate Survival
Book Mentioned in the Interview: Love Is Complicated: A True Story of Brokenness and Healing, by Marlena Fiol, to be released summer 2020
About Marlena Fiol, PhDMarlena Fiol, PhD, is a globally recognized author, scholar and speaker. She is a spiritual seeker whose work explores the depths of who we are and what's possible in our lives. Her significant body of publications on the topic, coupled with her own raw identity-changing experiences, makes her uniquely qualified to write about personal transformational change. She is also a certified tai chi instructor and freelance writer whose most recent work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and newsletters.
You can find Marlena in the following places: https://marlenafiol.com Facebook Twitter: @marlenafiol
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By Marlena FiolWhen Misty was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were basically kept as slaves on a mountain ranch. They were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. The two young girls were too terrified to escape. They also knew that no rescue would ever come because only a few people even knew they existed and they didn't know them well enough to care, so they thought. Then as teenagers, they were adopted into Amish families and things seemed so much better at first but then went from bad to worse.
Misty escaped and is here to tell her story and so much more. She inspires us to stand up for and be committed to protect children from abuse.
The following is just a taste of Misty's thoughts about child abuse and about her commitment to making this world a safer place for the vulnerable and defenseless.
Q: When your Amish abusers confessed, they were excommunicated for a short while and then they were forgiven. What does forgiveness mean to you? Misty: I don't think forced forgiveness is really forgiveness. I believe forgiveness is something that has to come from your heart. It has to be true and it has to be when you're ready.
Q: Why have the Amish been romanticized a lot over time? Misty: The Amish have been romanticized because people literally do not know anything about them. When you don't know about something, you make up your own presumptions.
Q: Why didn't you escape much sooner from your abusers when you had opportunities? Misty: When talking about a child abuse victim, you have to think of it like a domestic violence situation: If victims of domestic violence aren't sure they can get out of that situation, they're not going to talk or even consider an escape.
Q: How has the abuse you suffered as a child influenced who you are today? Misty: When I left the Amish, I told myself that, somehow, I was going to make a difference and put a stop to this abuse.
When I ask if there's one last thing she'd like our listeners to hear, Misty says, "If you suspect child abuse, don't look the other way. Don't think somebody else is going to report it. Don't just brush it off, because it could be a case like mine."
Misty Griffin is the author of Tears of the Silenced: An Amish True Crime Memoir of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brutal Betrayal, and Ultimate Survival, an inspirational story of surviving abuse and standing up for the abused.
About Misty Griffin When Misty was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were basically kept as slaves on a mountain ranch. They were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. The two young girls were too terrified to escape. They also knew that no rescue would ever come because only a few people even knew they existed and they didn't know them well enough to care, so they thought. Then as teenagers, they were adopted into Amish families and things seemed so much better at first but then went from bad to worse. Misty escaped and is here to tell her story and so much more. She inspires us to stand up for and be committed to protect children from abuse.
Find Misty on Social Media: Twitter: @ExAmish101
Misty's Book: Tears of the Silenced: An Amish True Crime Memoir of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brutal Betrayal, and Ultimate Survival
Book Mentioned in the Interview: Love Is Complicated: A True Story of Brokenness and Healing, by Marlena Fiol, to be released summer 2020
About Marlena Fiol, PhDMarlena Fiol, PhD, is a globally recognized author, scholar and speaker. She is a spiritual seeker whose work explores the depths of who we are and what's possible in our lives. Her significant body of publications on the topic, coupled with her own raw identity-changing experiences, makes her uniquely qualified to write about personal transformational change. She is also a certified tai chi instructor and freelance writer whose most recent work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and newsletters.
You can find Marlena in the following places: https://marlenafiol.com Facebook Twitter: @marlenafiol