The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Mikayla Matthews speaks out about surviving childhood sexual abuse
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews revealed that she was sexually abused as a child 'for about four or five years.'
The TikTok star, 25, opened up about her past trauma on the upcoming second season of her hit reality show, which follows a group of Mormon mom influencers that got caught in the midst of a swinging sex scandal.
Matthews, who is currently expecting her fourth child, noted that the years-long sexual abuse ended after she turned 15.
The topic came up on Halloween as she recalled gathering the courage to tell her mother about the abuse back in 2015.
After telling her mom, Matthews said in the episode that she felt like her story wasn't believed.
This led her to feel 'silenced' and has continued to affect her ability to share what happened to her to others, including her own husband, Jace Terry.
Matthews told People that speaking to her siblings about the abuse while cameras were rolling was a 'nerve-wracking' experience.
'It was the first conversation I had ever had with them since everything happened,' she explained.
Navigating her relationship with her mother has been tricky as Matthews claims she still doesn't believe her story.
'I still have a lot of empathy for her and what she's been through, even though she was not that person for me growing up and during the whole situation when I came out about sexual abuse,' Matthews said.
She has chosen not the publicly identity her abuser or disclose their relationship to her, at this time.
On this season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, she shares a therapy session of hers, which involves her role-playing a scenario where she tells off her abuser.
'I think I'm definitely a little nervous [for viewers to see that]. I think it's the most vulnerable I've ever been, having to film a therapy session — especially talking about topics that are really triggering and heavy for me,' Matthews said.
Although she has not told many people about the abuse, she said she has confided in her longtime friend, Mayci Neeley.
Mikayla Matthews, who suffers from chronic eczema, explained that confronting her trauma and focusing on her mental health has helped her see 'the most healing on the outside.'
She also credited her husband for being 'the most amazing support' system.
'Focusing on going to therapy and my marriage and healing my inner child, honestly, has helped the most,' Matthews insisted. 'I have good days and bad days, but yeah, I'm trying to focus on the good because there is a lot of good [changes], even from season 1.'
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives returns to Hulu on May 15.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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