Ep 8 – Kidnapped by the State: Abandoned, Humiliated, and Erased

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Three Times A Victim – Living Under the Shadow of Toxic Shame

Bruce Whealton

16 episodes

6 days ago

A therapist devoted to healing others - including survivors of rape and trauma - becomes the victim of violence… and then gets arrested. Yes, they arrested the victim, not the perpetrator. The system fails him, punishing the very person it should have protected. A memoir podcast from Bruce Whealton, a writer, mental health professional, and trauma survivor. Based on the book Three Times A Victim. Please start with Episode 1—this is a true story meant to be heard in order, from Episode 1 to 15. Learn more: linktr.ee/brucewhealton. Same for Kathy, Bruce Sr. ., Carrie, and John Whealton

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Personal Journals

Society & Culture

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Ep 8 – Kidnapped by the State: Abandoned, Humiliated, and Erased

Three Times A Victim – Living Under the Shadow of Toxic Shame

21 minutes

6 months ago

Ep 8 – Kidnapped by the State: Abandoned, Humiliated, and Erased

💥 “The truth was all I had—but it wasn’t enough.”

After surviving a brutal assault, Bruce is imprisoned—without conviction, without support, and without justice. In this heartbreaking chapter of Three Times A Victim, he describes being “kidnapped by the state,” stripped of dignity, and left to suffer in silence.

🔒 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
✔️ Pre-trial incarceration treated as guilt
✔️ The suicide smock as a symbol of shame and erasure
✔️ Family betrayal—refusing to pay bail, offer help, or believe him
✔️ Media distortion—portraying the perpetrator as a “girl” and Bruce as a monster
✔️ Public defender failure—no defense, just pressure to plead
✔️ Release into homelessness—seven months locked up, then abandoned to the streets
✔️ A glimmer of kindness from a woman offering hope, shadowed by shame and trauma
✔️ The pain of familial gaslighting by omission—no anger, no concern, just silence

💭 “If your own family won’t stand by you—who will?”

🎧 This episode reveals the crushing loneliness of being punished not just by the system—but by those who should have protected you.

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📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon:
bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir

🌐 Author’s Website:
bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook

🎧 YouTube Playlist:
bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast

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Tags:
#ThreeTimesAVictim #WrongfulImprisonment #FalseAccusation #ToxicShame #VictimNotCriminal #JusticeFailed #PublicDefenderFailure #Gaslighting #SurvivorStory #NarrativeTherapy #MentalHealthAwareness #ScapegoatSurvivor #CPTSDRecovery