Catriona Morton talks to fellow survivors of sexual assault and abuse about what happened to them and how they cope now. After experiencing sexual abuse and assault herself, Catriona felt like she was abandoned by society, “stranded in an ocean,” she says, "with only a life raft and no rescue in sight.” So she created her own life raft with a blog called Life Continues After, where anyone affected by sexual trauma can share their stories and advice in the hope that others will find something useful. Or even just some comfort in knowing they’re not alone.
This podcast continues Catriona’s mission. Each person’s story will be split into two parts - and two separate episodes in the podcast feed. In the first part – called ‘Then’ – survivors will tell Catriona as much or as a little as they want about what happened to them. If listeners feel this part of their story might be too triggering and distressing, they can skip to the second part – called ‘Now’ – where survivors will share the practical steps, resources and methods they follow.
If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Catriona Morton talks to fellow survivors of sexual assault and abuse about what happened to them and how they cope now. After experiencing sexual abuse and assault herself, Catriona felt like she was abandoned by society, “stranded in an ocean,” she says, "with only a life raft and no rescue in sight.” So she created her own life raft with a blog called Life Continues After, where anyone affected by sexual trauma can share their stories and advice in the hope that others will find something useful. Or even just some comfort in knowing they’re not alone.
This podcast continues Catriona’s mission. Each person’s story will be split into two parts - and two separate episodes in the podcast feed. In the first part – called ‘Then’ – survivors will tell Catriona as much or as a little as they want about what happened to them. If listeners feel this part of their story might be too triggering and distressing, they can skip to the second part – called ‘Now’ – where survivors will share the practical steps, resources and methods they follow.
If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Catriona talks to fellow survivor Leo about what happened when they were assaulted on two occasions while exploring BDSM.
Leo – who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – isn’t their real name. But for personal reasons they’ve chosen to be anonymous.
Leo talks about the misconceptions people have about consent in the BDSM community and why the fear of being judged or shamed about their sexual desires stopped them from going to anyone for help.
In this episode, Leo talks about the sexual trauma they experienced in detail, and we talk explicitly about sex and intimacy, so if you want to leave this one for another day, head back to the feed and go straight to part two for how they cope today.
If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now.
Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producer is Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.