AI Summary
5 min readI Dated My Predator
Jess was 15 when she met Rennie, a 28-year-old employee at the residential treatment center where Jess had been sent for mental health care. What followed was a three-year relationship that Jess spent most of her adult life trying to understand—and that the legal system ultimately could not touch.
The childhood that made her vulnerable
Jess grew up shuttling between households. Her parents communicated only through her, and she absorbed the message that she was a burden. Her father's alcoholism worsened over time; on her 13th birthday, she had to jump out of his moving car. Her mother's sister died by suicide when Jess was seven, and Jess told her mother "Aunt Jenny didn't love us because she left"—the comment that got Jess into therapy for the first time.
By 13, after her first real breakup, Jess started cutting herself. She attempted suicide at 14 by taking 20 to 30 extra-strength Tylenol. Over the next eight years, she would be placed in more than thirteen mental institutions. "It was really easy to be put in there," she said. "They talk to you for five minutes and then they diagnose you with bipolar." She later learned she had undiagnosed ADHD and untreated trauma.
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What you'll learn
- 1 Main Outline
- 2 (00:29) **Jess Introduces Her Childhood** - Jess begins her story with the fractured family dynamic that shaped her early years
- 3 (03:10) **First Major Trauma: Aunt Jenny's Suicide** - At age seven, Jess's aunt dies by suicide, introducing her to death and trauma in a confusing way
- 4 (05:23) **Grandmother's Death and Escalating Family Chaos** - Jess loses her maternal grandmother and watches her father's alcoholism destroy his family
- 5 (09:29) **First Relationship, Self-Harm, and Suicide Attempt** - At 13, a breakup triggers a decade-long pattern of self-harm and her first suicide attempt
- 6 (13:08) **Hearing About Her Mom's Abortion** - While pretending to sleep in the hospital after her suicide attempt, Jess overhears her dad whisper about an abortion
- 7 (13:51) **Lying for Attention and the False Report** - Jess begins lying about big things, which she later learns is a sign of abuse
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
At 15 years old, Jess entered a residential treatment center while struggling with trauma and her mental health. There, she met a counselor she was meant to trust who slowly groomed and sexually abused her, exploiting her vulnerability and changing the course of her life.
In this episode, Jess shares how childhood trauma, abuse, addiction, and years of silence shaped her life and how she eventually found healing. She hopes her story helps other survivors feel seen, exposes the reality of abuse of power, and reminds people that healing is possible.
Check Out Jess:
→ Tik Tok | @graylightaura
Topics Discussed:
→ Childhood Trauma & Mental Health
→ Grooming by a Treatment Center Counselor
→ Surviving Sexual Abuse
→ Addiction & Recovery
→ Healing After Trauma
Sponsored By:
→ HERS | Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://forhers.com/insane
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On This Episode We Cover:
→ 00:00:00 - Introduction
→ 00:00:42 - What was Jess's childhood like?
→ 00:02:40 - How did losing her aunt change her life?
→ 00:05:10 - How did her father's alcoholism affect her?
→ 00:09:14 - What led to her first mental health crisis?
→ 00:10:10 - What happened during her first suicide attempt?
→ 00:11:02 - What was it like being in psychiatric hospitals?
→ 00:19:36 - Why was she sent to a residential treatment center?
→ 00:21:56 - How did she meet the counselor who groomed her?
→ 00:24:42 - How did they stay in contact after treatment?
→ 00:26:48 - How did the grooming begin?
→ 00:27:38 - What happened on their first "date"?
→ 00:29:40 - When did the abuse become sexual?
→ 00:31:18 - How did the abuse continue?
→ 00:32:34 - How was she isolated and manipulated?
→ 00:37:18 - How did the relationship affect her family?
→ 00:39:34 - How did the trauma begin to consume her life?
→ 00:49:40 - Why couldn't she leave the relationship?
→ 00:59:48 - How did she try to start over?
→ 01:05:16 - How did becoming a mother change her life?
→ 01:08:56 - What made her finally report her abuser?
→ 01:13:44 - What happened when she confronted her former counselor?
→ 01:18:02 - Why was the investigation closed?
→ 01:22:32 - What was it like seeing her abuser in court?
→ 01:28:10 - What needs to change to better protect vulnerable kids?
→ 01:35:00 - What are the warning signs of grooming?
→ 01:39:12 - What does Jess want parents and survivors to know?
Show links:
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