“What I believe with certainty is that you and I, and everyone who tastes the bitter truth of sexual trauma has within us everything we need to face and overcome adversity.”
— Joyce Aubrey, Founder of FOV
In August of 2009, a team of survivors under the leadership of Joyce Aubrey, applied for non-profit 501(c)3 status of Finding Our Voices. The goal was to offer occasional art workshops and sponsor an annual exhibit of survivor art each April, as part of global Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).
Joyce’s impetus was to revive the growth opportunities she experienced by participating in the Healing Images ArtFest in the mid 1990’s. Additionally, Process Painting, two-day workshops, under the direction of Alice McClelland and Sandra Felt were pivotal to Joyce’s journey through flashbacks to childhood sexual assaults. Discovering Process Painting, where the final goal was the creative experience, not the final product, provided transformative insights for Joyce. Like many, she had repressed all memory of abuse until she faced midlife health challenges.
The final goal was the creative experience, not the final product.
Joyce was at the height of her career as a retail store owner when flashbacks toppled her world, one filled with many rewards as a mother, wife, community leader and merchant. In one year, she recalled more than a decade of incest and family trafficking. Her descent into despair and confusion rendered her unable to cope with responsibilities in Colby, Kansas.
Within three years, she was divorced, unemployed, exiled from family and battling their attempts to discredit her. The story doesn’t end there. As a seeker and an avid reader, she researched the issue of sexual violence and pursued healing through allopathic and alternative modalities. Traditional psychotherapy including EMDR, and prescription medicine interwoven with Rolfing, massage, Myofascial Release, Acupuncture and more, all played a role in her healing experience.
Desperate to maintain sanity, she sought help for mental and physical challenges.
Drawing upon past careers as a high school teacher, community college counselor, farmer, and retail store owner, Joyce continues to support survivors. She conducts workshops in-person and on-line, speaks to groups to raise public awareness and expand the network of resources for survivors. Proceeds from her memoir: Beyond Aftershocks, support Finding Our Voices programs.
THE FOUNDER
“Midlife flashbacks of childhood sexual abuse toppled my seemingly perfect world. I spiraled from my role as wife of 30 years and mother of two sons, aged 17 and 25, to a dark place that left me confused, frightened and angry.”
Recalling more than a decade of incest and family trafficking cost me my ambition, my spirituality and nearly my sanity. Within three years, I was divorced, unemployed, disowned by my brothers and battling their attempts to discredit me.
My story doesn’t end there. A scholar, I researched and sought healing. Traditional psychotherapy and prescription medicine interwoven with Rolfing, massage and acupuncture all played a role in my journey. With time, I discovered process painting. The creative experience, not the final product, was the goal.
My early love of nature, renewed by the natural beauty of Colorado, inspired the artist within me; I chose the colors, the brushes and the strokes. Empowered, my independence was restored.Emerging from the aftershocks a leader, I founded the organization Finding Our Voices to advocate for and support survivors of sexual violence. We provide workshops, conduct outreach, and provide art-based healing. We actively advocate campaigns to raise public awareness and extend the network of resources for survivors.
“Beyond Aftershocks” is available at the Pikes Peak Library
These books, along with the works from the 2021 & 2022 Writing Groups, are available for purchase. Contact Finding Our Voices for details.
