In this episode of The Grass Gets Greener podcast, I'm joined by Ruth Krug of FeedingTheHeart.com. Ruth joins me to share her story of how she's been able to reclaim her life and her voice after surviving violence and sexual assault.
Click the play button below to check it out!
The Details
Traumatic experience:
Ruth was kidnapped and gang-raped along with her mother when she was just 3 years old. She was also drugged and raped when she was a freshman in college.
Effects of the traumatic experience:
The effects these two experiences had on Ruth are similar to those often experienced by other trauma survivors. She experienced PTSD, depression, anxiety, anger, shame and guilt. She also didn't feel normal or comfortable in her own skin when she was growing up because she felt like no one could relate to the gang rape situation.
Overcoming the traumatic experience:
Ruth initially relied on therapy and medication, but she then turned her focus toward things that made her feel empowered. She did some humanitarian work in both Asia and Africa. She also found healing in sharing her story. In addition to these things, she's found yoga, mindfulness, meditation, aroma therapy, and focusing on her diet and healing her body to be the most helpful things for her recovery.
What Ruth does today:
Ruth is a restorative justice practitioner and trauma-sensitive yoga teacher. She also runs her website FeedingTheHeart.com and the Reclaiming Lost Voices online community.
Final Question:
Given what you know now, if you could go back to when you were going through the tough times and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Ruth's Answer: That everything she was experiencing was normal for someone who has survived trauma and is a part of the process.
Links Mentioned
FeedingTheHeart.com - Ruth's website that's dedicated to empowerment for whole heart living.
Reclaiming Lost Voices - the Facebook page for Ruth's community that aims to restore dignity and empower survivors to heal, restore justice and reclaim their lives.
Twitter - Ruth's Twitter profile
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Please leave a comment and let me know if you have any stories or questions.
A note about comments:
Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated to ensure mutual respect. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.
Ruth’s story is so very inspiring. Thank you for sharing and helping others to see they can overcome trauma.
Hi Gina, thanks for the comment! Ruth’s story is definitely very inspiring. I’m glad you liked it.