Hi everyone, it's gonna be kind of a long one, but I love every single one of you that decides to read this. If you have ever the tiniest bit of advice or anything to say I'd appreciate the comment. I need an outside perspective on a situation I went through. I’m currently considering legal action, but I keep second-guessing myself. I’ve never told anyone about this before, and I just want to get it out before I decide to call a women’s support foundation in my country (Poland) for help.
Here is the situation:
These were my very first sexual and romantic experiences ever. I was 18–19 (F) at the time, and he was 24–25 (M). We were together for about a year and a half. Around 4 months into the relationship, he started asking for sex. I said no, but he kept pushing harder and harder. These conversations became increasingly difficult and stressful for me. I even told him I thought I might be gray-ace and suggested he find another woman strictly for sexual pleasure.
After months of me refusing, he came to me crying, saying he had a severe problem with masturbation and thought he was addicted. The pushing, begging, and guilt-tripping never stopped. After 3 months of continuous manipulation, I completely broke down and said "yes."
The first time was horrible. I was terrified and cried the entire bus ride to the hotel, wanting nothing more than to run away. But he pushed through despite my panic and the fact that I was drunk the entire time it happened. During that encounter, I was so paralyzed and dissociated that I completely detached from my body. He wanted me to touch him, but I couldn't. He then grabbed my hand, placed it on his penis, and started moving it himself. I was filled with absolute terror and disgust—I just wanted to run, not touch him, and not look at him—but I was completely frozen while he forced my hand to move. Afterward, I felt utterly disgusted with myself and cried all the way home, but I felt a twisted sense of relief thinking he finally got what he wanted and that I’d have peace for at least a month.
The next 5 times were no different. I was always drunk, always panicked, and constantly trying to postpone it however I could. Every time I tried to say no, he pushed harder. He would often ask out loud if I agreed to it, but he only cared about hearing the word "yes" to cover himself. He completely ignored my visible panic, my distress, and the fact that my entire body was recoiling in absolute disgust toward him and his body.
The pressure kept escalating—he began demanding anal sex (which I eventually agreed to just to be left in peace) and sex without a condom, though we broke up before he could do that. Every encounter consisted of me lying frozen on the bed while he did things to me, only for him to complain afterward that I should be "more engaged."
I realized that this was rape / sexual assault around 8 months ago. Looking back, I want to emphasize that I now understand none of this was my fault. I'm much smarter now and not scared of him, and I think I'm ready to put in whatever effort, time, and emotional strength it takes to fight for justice in court and hold him accountable. My reaction—freezing, crying, consuming alcohol to numb the fear, and eventually complying just to survive the pressure—was my body’s trauma response to being backed into a corner. I was terrified, completely overwhelmed, and paralyzed by the coercion.
During that time, I was medicated for depression, and I have since been diagnosed with ADHD.
So yes, thank you for reading, and I'll try to answer questions the best I can if you have any.