Several years ago, Jane Epstein acknowledged she was depressed and had spent 40 years in a continual state of dissociation. It was time to turn inward and seek answers. In the past, she used behaviours such as food, alcohol, drugs, exercise, anger, sex, and a career in stripping to avoid the pain, anything to prevent being authentically known and detected as her true self.

One day, in a therapist’s office, Epstein shed her layers of shame by owning her story with grace. It was there she found the answers. As she uncovered her past, Jane discovered a more profound truth about me that had always hidden, and unlocked a new relationship with herself. She learned to trust, open up, and found a kind of love and peace she had never imagined.

Epstein had been through multiple traumas at a young age, sibling sexual abuse, a widow at the age of 34. Having worked through these experiences and speaking with hundreds of people who have gone through something similar, she has discovered that when someone is hurting and starts to share their pain, they are not always looking for a solution or wanting to be fixed.

She advocates for survivors as a board member of Incest Aware, moderate a survivor Facebook group, and have a memoir in progress. In addition, she shares her story publicly to give other survivors the courage speak up and share their stories and know they are not alone. Courage is contagious.

She is available for several types of podcasts: to educate parents, stories of hope and resilience, trauma and grief.

* What is sibling sexual abuse and how does sibling sexual abuse happen?
* What types of families does sibling sexual abuse occur in?
* What is normal curiosity versus sexual abuse?
* What are the factors that contribute to adolescent, child with child, and sibling sexual abuse?
* What are the warning signs?
* Where can parents find online classes and books to read to their children?
* Resources for parents if something has already happened.

Epstein hopes to contribute her experiences and insights to bring awareness to sibling sexual abuse and help educate and empower parents on preventing sibling sexual abuse and remove the fear of the unknown.

She is a survivor of sibling sexual abuse, turned advocate, and expert. Her passion, work, and life mission are to bring awareness of the staggering statistics of SSA, a largely ignored segment of sexual abuse, and make body safety conversations between parents and children an everyday conversation.

Visit her website to read the full story.