Survivor Testimonies

Clicking on the below testimonies will open up personal stories of clergy sexual abuse. At the request of the survivors and family members the names of individuals and places have been redacted or altered. Some testimonies have not been redacted and the authors have given permission to share these stories in the hopes that they will provide support to other members of survivor families.

 

In retelling these stories, even in a redacted or anonymized context, issues of secrecy, betrayal of trust and maintaining relationships are prevalent. These are natural responses to traumatic events and contribute to intergenerational trauma and collectively to community trauma. Healing from this abuse will continue to be a process that we have to work at each and every day.

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The Healing Fund supports the survivors of Nakayama’s clergy sexual abuse, their families, and others who have been affected by these crimes. Some of the terms we use may be new to community members. Below are two important definitions from Dr. Satsuki Ina that are needed to understand Nakayama's abuse.

 

Clergy Sexual Abuse, affects survivors:

A betrayal of trust, by overt and/or covert sexual contact or act which may include touching or non-touching; verbal seduction or abuse; anal or vaginal intercourse; oral sex; manual stimulation; direct or implied threats or other forms of abuse by a person believed to have religious and spiritual authority or power; including a minister, priest, bishop, nun, rabbi, elder, guru, or any other spiritual teacher or guide against another person under that guidance or authority.

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Intergenerational trauma / secondary victims, affects close relations to survivors:

People who were not the immediate recipients of sexual abuse, but suffered peripheral consequences of the abuse.