Dismissed True Stories
Dismissed True Stories is a survivor-led podcast that dares to break the silence around domestic violence, emotional abuse, and toxic relationships. Each episode shares the raw, unfiltered realities of what abuse really looks like. From overlooked red flags to moments of escape, and everything in between.
Created by a survivor-turned-advocate with a broadcasting background, DTS is where stories once silenced are now spoken. Loudly, honestly, and without apology. We’re not here to sensationalize abuse; we’re here to humanize survivors.
You’ll hear from survivors finding their voices, families forever changed by loss, and organizations working to support healing and recovery. Sometimes, it’s one survivor passing the mic to another with a piece of advice that could change or.. save a life.
But DTS isn’t just about telling stories of survival. Each episode's commentary helps you decode your own story, make sense of your experiences, and see the patterns you might have missed while in survival mode.
The tone? Like talking with a trusted friend. No fluff. Just truth.
Whether you're navigating narcissistic abuse, gaslighting, or coercive control or you're in the process of rebuilding your self-worth and healing your trauma this space is for you.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is finally tell your own story.
Survivor-led. Heart-led. Truth-led.
#DismissedTrueStories | A podcast for survivors and victims, by survivors.
Dismissed True Stories
Mini Episode: So Much For The Honeymoon Phase
Hey! Let me know what you think of this mini episode. To be honest, I needed a small breather while I processed telling my story to a room full of people this past week. What a weird layered experience. Seeing how people react when you say the things out loud that you've lived through. Wow...
I hope you like this quick story I found on the #letsnotmeet subreddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/s/Pc4gShSnDG
In this episode:
We explore the journey of a domestic violence survivor who escaped an abusive marriage that began just one week after high school graduation. Her candid story reveals how quickly abuse can escalate and the courage it takes to plan a safe escape.
• Red flags appeared immediately, including abandonment on their wedding day
• Isolation tactics intensified after moving to Texas with her military husband
• Physical violence escalated from throwing objects to life-threatening assault
• Family witnessed abuse during a terrifying phone call
• Executed a 2 AM escape plan, driving nine hours to safety
• Healing from trauma is possible but scars remain
If you related to this story or know someone who might need support, please share this episode. Healing happens in community, and your support helps us reach more victims and survivors who need to hear these stories and know they are not alone.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 OR text begin to 88788
Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood
Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.
🔗 Follow Along:
Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.
dismissedtruestories@thesurvivorsisterhood.com
Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.
Hey, it's Alyssa and welcome back to Just Missed True Stories. But before we dive in, I just want to give you a little heads up. This episode today is going to be a mini episode and I want to explain to you why this is in existence now. So, in between the release of these full survivor interviews that we're doing here on the podcast, I wanted to create something that lets me give the next survivor the time and care they need to prepare to release their story and put it out in the world. Because, as I'm doing this, it's a learning process for me and I'm realizing and doing my own and through the other survivors that sharing your truth, especially when it's rooted in our own trauma, it's not just about telling our story. It's about going back and feeling safe enough to release it all. And having the support to process all of the emotions that resurface afterward is very important, and it takes time, it requires self-care and sometimes even a little coaching and reassurance on my part through the entire thing. These stories are so deeply personal and incredibly brave, and the least that I can do is offer the brave survivors the grace that they deserve to feel prepared before being heard by the world. So today's mini episode I pulled from the let's Not Meet subreddit. It involves an abusive marriage and just a trigger warning. It is intense, so please consider this your warning. There is also a lot of strong language in this episode, including quite a bit of cussing, so if you're in a tender place, you might want to skip this one or listen to it when you feel more grounded. Okay, so next week we're going to return to Survivor Stories with an episode that I haven't stopped thinking about since we recorded it. Kiana is her name. Her story is raw and powerful and it hit me so hard that after that interview I just sat and stared at the wall. No lie, her strength is unforgettable and I cannot wait for you to hear her truth. But until then, take care of yourself and let's get into today's episode.
Speaker 1:I was just a sophomore in high school when I fell head over heels for the new quiet kid. I thought he was my forever. It sounds crazy now, but I went on to marry him just one week after graduation High school sweethearts. Looking back now I can see how many red flags I noticed but ignored because I was young and eagerly wanted to be a grown-up. The night before my wedding day I was going over last-minute details with my mom, who is easily one of the most caring and selfless people I know and selfless people I know Bless my sweet mama's heart. When I asked her if she'd be mad if I decided to not go through with the wedding Me being me, mom thought I was messing with her. I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth of what was going on, so I took a deep breath and forced a believable chuckle. She genuinely thought I was just pulling another one of my jokes. I went on to finally tell her the truth almost a year after I escaped him. She still feels bad for not taking me seriously at the time, but no one knew what was going on behind closed doors Makes sense. I was honestly doing the most PR for him.
Speaker 1:Only two hours after saying I do, he was throwing me out of the truck in my parents' driveway, cussing and yelling that he wanted a divorce and then recklessly driving off. So much for the honeymoon phase. I ran inside and my dad came out of the bedroom. He couldn't understand a word I was saying. He asked me what was happening and I say as clearly as I could, while uncontrollably sobbing he left me. How could he? On our honeymoon my dad was pissed but then relaxed and tried to rationalize the situation. Maybe he forgot something or maybe he was pulling a bad joke, or something like that. Then we saw my new husband's truck flying into our driveway and my dad smiles and says see, he's right there. I wiped my tears and walked out the door and tell them. Yes, it was a prank. Inside I was screaming. I was so embarrassed because I felt like I looked crazy. But if I wanted to save this relationship, they could never know the truth.
Speaker 1:Months went by and he left for military training. He was sweeter while we were long distance, but before long training was complete and I soon packed up my life and moved to Texas with him. I could tell my parents were starting to see the cracks the cracks I had worked so hard to glue together. My mom even picked up my phone on the table, mistaking it for hers, and saw this huge message from him and started crying, begging me not to move because he was not a good person. But I lied. I assured her that this was way out of character for him and that he was just lonely. I knew she didn't believe me, but she also knew I was stubborn and I was going to do whatever I thought I had to, regardless of her concerns.
Speaker 1:After just a few weeks in Texas, I knew my life was in danger. It was Thanksgiving Day and my family just called to check up on us and just tell us Happy Thanksgiving. The moment I hung up, the man I thought was my soulmate started cussing at me and saying that I need to stop talking to my family because he was my family. Now I let out a little chuckle, thinking he's got to be joking. And then he picks up our wedding glasses I had made specifically for us and threw them directly at me. They crashed to the ground, shattering around me, shocked. I didn't know what to do, so I just grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the broken glass. I know, you know, his tantrum wasn't over. He then threw picture frames at me while I'm sweeping up the glass. Honestly, that broken glass on the wood floor was just a metaphor for any love I had left towards this man I broke. That night. I stopped seeing him as my other half and more as the monster I was now stuck with. I became very depressed and he loved that he would break me down over and over again, just to get a reaction, and over again, just to get a reaction.
Speaker 1:Two months went by and one night he completely lost his shit over some issue with the washer and dryer. The repairman had mixed up the dates. They were supposed to come fix them. He started pacing back and forth, mumbling words I couldn't quite make out. Then he demanded that I call and fix the issue. He grabbed me and sat me on the couch telling me what to say and that I better not fuck it up, as if this was a damn negotiation.
Speaker 1:This man was paranoid as fuck, making comments that the repair company was doing this to him because he was a soldier. Then he started blaming me, even though I wasn't even around when he called them in the first place. He yelled at me for hours until, snap, he just stopped. He walked into the bedroom and me. I was on the couch still processing that fucking moment, replaying what he had said to me You're so fucking stupid. This is all your fault. Did you plan this with the workers to make me look dumb, or are you really that fucking dumb? Huh, you stupid, fucking bitch. Yeah, that's what I thought. You fucking, no-good, ungrateful bitch. Fucking no good, ungrateful bitch.
Speaker 1:After this I finally reached the point of saying you know what I'm done. You won't do anything except complain and bitch at me. No-transcript. He looked at me with this look that I've heard other victims try to describe, and the best I can describe it is as a darkness in his eyes, just a emptiness. It still causes me nightmares to this day.
Speaker 1:Day. Without hesitation, he lunged at me in the middle of the day, with the curtains open, door wide open, neighbors out and about. He threw me against the wall and started choking me until I slowly saw black. He let go only for a second. Then he slammed my entire body to the floor. At that moment I either blacked out or my brain was trying to shield me from what was happening. Slowly I came to and he was holding me by my shoulders, just repeatedly slamming me onto the floor.
Speaker 1:My screams were ignored by the people outside. I pleaded for anyone to call the police and yelled for help. Over and over, my fight or flight took over and I chose flight. I ran to the main bathroom and locked the door. I frantically called my mom. In that moment I just wanted to hear her voice. I was unsure if it would be my last.
Speaker 1:My poor mom didn't know the nightmare of that phone call until it was too late. She was with my sister and dad and she put me on speakerphone so they could all talk to me. It was something she always did. It was like we could pretend we were all together altogether. Instead, they heard me screaming for my life and heard my ex calling me awful names and telling me to get my ass out of there and to unlock the door. They were confused and my dad was ready to come kill this asshole himself.
Speaker 1:But then silence. No more banging on the door, just me softly crying and trying to calm my mother. Over the phone, I told her I was alright and that I knew I needed to leave him, but I had to do it in the safest way possible. I knew that if he were to catch me, way possible. I knew that if he were to catch me, I may not make it out with my life. When I walked out of the room, my ex was just sitting there with a blank stare like nothing had happened. This was a theme throughout our three-year relationship, but I could no longer ignore the escalation of his behavior.
Speaker 1:So one night I put my escape plan into action. I was gonna make a run for it. It was 2 am and the keys to my Pontiac were on the kitchen table and he was asleep in the bedroom that I wasn't allowed in several days earlier. I busted out of the guest bedroom that was my prison and beelined out the front door as quickly and quietly as possible. I drove nine and a half hours to my home state, only stopping once in Dallas to fill up on gas. With every mile in my rearview mirror, I felt something inside me that reassured me. I'm free now. I wear these scars, mentally and emotionally, forever, but over time most of them have healed or faded. I 100% believe that if I had stayed, I'd be six feet under. So to my abusive ex-husband that I fled from that late February night. Let's not meet again Ever. This survivor escaped, like many of us do. She just ran. She ran in the middle of the night and she never, ever looked back.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for listening to this episode of dismiss true stories. I'm really looking forward to hearing your feedback. Do you like these little mini episodes in preparation for the next survivor story? I would love to hear what you have to say, what your thoughts are and if today's episode resonated with you, if you related to this story in any way, please take a moment to like, subscribe and rate. Dismiss True Stories five stars. I've said it before, but I'll say it again Healing happens in community, and your support for this podcast helps us reach more victims and survivors who truly do need these stories. It helps them understand that they're not alone and that healing and escaping is possible. So until next time, thank you for listening. Take good care of yourself. I'll see you next week and remember the world is a better place because you are in it. Thank you.
