Healing in the nude

Being naked helps rape victim overcome
pain and expose her true self

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Joyce Strong

Age: 23

Occupation: Student

Bio: This delightful downtown damsel recently returned to Concordia University full-time in order to finish off her economics degree after a two-year stint working at a major investment bank. An impressively positive, upbeat kind of gal, Joyce says she had the misfortune of being raped no fewer than three times before her 16th birthday and has been dealing with the trauma ever since, something she appears to be doing quite well, all things considered. A committed nudist since the tender age of 17, Joyce says that running around naked in front of other people has helped her tremendously in dealing with her “issues.” “The sex experience and nudism are two totally different things, both dealing with the body. I’ve felt horrible things, but my body and I have also experienced beauty, fulfillment and peace as well, and much of that has come through nudity. My perception of sex still isn’t the best, I continue to struggle with my rapes, but I can still enjoy it.”

Something few rape victims have to say about the experience: “I think these were positive things in my life. Yeah, a lot of bad came with being raped too, but overall I think I grew into a stronger person because of it. Rape really has a huge impact on you, it makes you doubt yourself, you see how vulnerable you are and how you can be so disrespected by people. It made me incredibly insecure, my self-esteem dropped tremendously after that. I felt so small inside, I didn’t feel I could trust people because when I did, I wound up being abused. So that led to a lot of other issues coming into my life, you know, anger and substance abuse problems. But the therapy I’m undergoing now is helping a lot. I only take natural drugs now, and even then, not very often, just to complement the beautiful days I can have.”

How nudism has helped her deal with trauma: “I no longer associate nudity, a beautiful thing, with the negative. There’s strength in a nude body. You’ve really got to be able to let yourself go and say, ‘This is Joyce, this is who I am.’ It’s the ultimate way of facing yourself, being stark naked, exposing yourself to others. Nudism has really boosted my self-esteem, opened my eyes to how fresh and pure nakedness is. It’s sad our society often sees nudity as porn. If everyone could experience nudism, there wouldn’t be so many problems in the world. People hide behind clothes, they don’t like letting themselves be vulnerable to others, it’s normal, but as soon as you’re naked, you’ve put your guard down—and then there are no more problems.”

Something Joyce is currently looking for: Work that will allow her to employ “the sereneness of the body, my body, as a way to channel positive energy. I’ve been a body painting model, and since then, I’ve really been looking for more opportunities to use my body positively.” If you’re an artist who can think of any ways to “channel the beauty and positivity” of Joyce’s naked bod, contact her via binnie01@hotmail.com.

Last book read: The Holy Bible, by God, with help from King James and co.

Musical preferences: The Doors, Pink Floyd.

Words of wisdom: “Love yourself.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net