Bola

Bola Bola is an initiative that started in Pune as a support group for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Bola is a Marathi word, which simply means "tell me".

Bola is an initiative that started in Pune to create a support group for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Bola was started by some adult survivors who felt the need of talking to others about their experience. However, when they spoke non-survivors they realised that there was a clear lack of context while talking to them. Non-survivors not knowing what to say often come across as insensitive and unemphatic. Some of us survivors had tried seeking counselling, however, it did not help much. The lack of connection and context was still there. Accidentally, once, three of us learnt that we were survivors of child sexual abuse and we sat together to talk about how we were feeling. At that time we openly spoke our hearts out. We felt like we were being understood. We felt like we were reflections of each other. There was trust, connection, and solidarity. This was very powerful for us. All three of us realised that we had issues being in an intimate relationship with someone. We knew this conversation has been one of the most valuable and important conversations in a long time. We knew we were not alone in this journey and there are many others to take along in this. That's our story. Come join us in breaking our silence on child sexual abuse.

**TRIGGER WARNING**This is a brilliant documentary throwing light on the impact of child sexual abuse on survivors. Ther...
31/12/2020

**TRIGGER WARNING**

This is a brilliant documentary throwing light on the impact of child sexual abuse on survivors. There will be much to learn from this, I promise.

Farzana Gafoor, thank you for taking this on and doing justice to this.

Hush Hush is an Indian documentary that shares the stories of survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and brings light to the misconceptions the society has towards ...

Do you constantly feel pressure and stress around your shoulders?It is a sign you are feeling burdened. Acknowledge it a...
25/07/2020

Do you constantly feel pressure and stress around your shoulders?

It is a sign you are feeling burdened. Acknowledge it and realise it.

It helps to breathe in parts of my body that needs some healing, such as my solar plexus and my heart.

I absolutely hated school. I thought I was cursed to be here. This is one of the many instances that made feel abandoned...
02/07/2020

I absolutely hated school. I thought I was cursed to be here. This is one of the many instances that made feel abandoned in school.

I discovered that my deepest fear was being abandoned.

There are series of incidents where I experienced this feeling a child. Maybe felt it once and then it kept showing up again.

Most my friends loved school and thrived in it. Not me. I felt a huge disconnection with them since I was a child. And we take a lot of this to adulthood.

Connection as I learnt, is one of the most important aspects of being mentally healthy. It's literally is the opposite of depression.

Show up AskBe thereMake yourself heard, and visible.By just being there you can impact your environment around you.     ...
01/07/2020

Show up
Ask
Be there
Make yourself heard, and visible.

By just being there you can impact your environment around you.

Best advice I got from my therapist.
30/06/2020

Best advice I got from my therapist.

It has been a basic wmotions we humans have had. Like all other wmorions this too serves a purpose. To make you feel hea...
30/06/2020

It has been a basic wmotions we humans have had. Like all other wmorions this too serves a purpose. To make you feel heard, and even protect you.

To know what your anger is working towards observe what's it's trying to achieve.

Chanellising your anger is the key though. What do you do with it? Use it to understand what you want, use it help people, use it be someone's voice, use it to be your own voice.

Sometimes you maybe just be being a little harsh on yourself. That anger might be on yourself. In that case, give yourself some love.

Hate kills us. Not the anger.
#

I learnt this deep insight about me recently. I either shrunk myself to a point where i won't be seen or heard, or many ...
29/06/2020

I learnt this deep insight about me recently. I either shrunk myself to a point where i won't be seen or heard, or many just blow up to a point that in unbearable.

Safety is a foundational feeling. It is required to move to other levels of maturity. Be at at work, home, or social life. When one is left feeling unsafe for a long time the other layers become a struggle and one starts to feel stuck.

Sometimes you live around the same people who made you feel unsafe as a child or even in similar environments. It's also because it's something we are familiar with.

It left me lonely unheard and disconnected with people. It went on forever! The worst, I suppressed that anger and learnt to smile no matter what so that I am not attacked. And this was for me killed my growth.

I did two things, I tried to see if I was actually unsafe, and what did I need to do to be safe. These two things gave me a lot of answers.

What do you do in a situation like this?

A child's right to safety also has to extend to our homes!
13/05/2020

A child's right to safety also has to extend to our homes!

Every child has the right to feel safe at home and in their community. Often, the person who hurts a child is someone known to and trusted by the child.

We need to protect children so they can live free of fear.

So well put. I think a way to break the self disappointment is to not blame oneself and realise that we are humans deali...
19/04/2020

So well put.

I think a way to break the self disappointment is to not blame oneself and realise that we are humans dealing with other complex humans. Their actions and inactions is not on us

15/04/2020

Would you like us to do a live video on managing deep pain from the past?

12/04/2020

Do you experience trapped emotions?

Trapped emotions mean that you don't express your feelings, when you feel the need to, and stays inside as a result.

We keep emotions inside to save ourselves from hurt. But often in this journey leads to a lot of internal conflicts, lack of space for new things, and also may take the form of diseases (I say this with caution).

It is so important to feel safe. Feel safe to be. Feel safe to express. We may start with counselling sessions online or calls to experience this safety.

Let's get our emotions voiced. It is important that it is heard.

09/04/2020

This is a tough time for all survivors. Some who are stuck with people who trigger them or someone stuck with triggering memories in this lone time.

Again, you are not alone. Please reach out to your friends and helpline, if you like.

Also, we are going to ask you to do us a huge favour. Please please please think of a vision that you'd like to have - can be a job, travel, relationship, or anything.

Can you please create some very vivid visions of these. You may share with us if you like.

Please let this for your mind for when this chaos is over.

Address

Pune

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