WOMEN WHO INSPIRE
was brave enough to possibly face her first attacker.
She became involved with Angel Band’s virtual choir (survivors and
advocates – recorded and live – coming together in song), met with
a music therapist and told her story in a video interview – the first
time she had really talked about it to anyone outside her close circle.
“I felt disconnected from myself as I was talking, and I realized that
I had built a wall around myself,” she said. “The therapist made me
feel safe in a way I hadn’t felt in a very long time.”
She cried a lot of tears – tears she had promised not to cry – but
now realized they were part of the process. She gained the courage
to participate in the choir and attend her reunion.
“It was a testament to myself to say, ‘You didn’t break me,’” Erin
said. “He didn’t show for the reunion, but it was very emotional, and
I was proud of myself for having the courage to go.”
The virtual choir project set her free.
“That’s not to say the feelings are not still there. Rape changes you
permanently,” Erin said.