Three Times A Victim – Living Under the Shadow of Toxic Shame

Bruce Whealton
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A therapist devoted to healing others - including survivors of rape and trauma - becomes the victim of violence… and then gets arrested. Yes, they arrested the victim, not the perpetrator. The system fails him, punishing the very person it should have protected. A memoir podcast from Bruce Whealton, a writer, mental health professional, and trauma survivor. Based on the book Three Times A Victim. Please start with Episode 1—this is a true story meant to be heard in order, from Episode 1 to 15. Learn more: linktr.ee/brucewhealton. Same for Kathy, Bruce Sr. ., Carrie, and John Whealton

  1. 05/11/2025

    Ep 16 – The Case for Justice: When the System Believes the Wrong Person

    🩸 “I was the victim. I called 911. They believed her.” On October 1, 2004, Bruce Whealton was violently assaulted in his own home. He called 911, bleeding, terrified, and disoriented. First responders treated his injuries, documented the scene, and began interviewing witnesses. While officers were still investigating, the woman who attacked him—Ana—walked into the police station and claimed to be the victim. The system believed her. Despite Bruce’s visible injuries, corroborating witnesses, and evidence at the scene, detectives sided with the attacker. Bruce was arrested, charged, and coerced into a guilty plea two years later. Diagnosed with PTSD, Major Depression, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder prior to the plea, Bruce was in no psychological state to withstand the legal pressure. His court-appointed attorney—who had once said, “No jury would believe you did this”—pressured him to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. This episode is a turning point in the podcast series—a transition from memoir to legal reckoning. Bruce presents his case for post-conviction relief through North Carolina’s Motion for Appropriate Relief (MAR), drawing from newly organized evidence, legal research, and a detailed briefing document. 🔍 In This Episode: The disappearance of the original 911 police report, raising serious questions about a cover-up A timeline of events on October 1, 2004, including Ana’s husband's earlier complaint—suggesting premeditation Ana’s criminal record for prior assaults, likely pleaded down to “simple assault” Bruce’s federally recognized disability status, which invalidates the plea His lawyer’s failure to protect him—and the moment Bruce muttered in court: “That’s what he told me to say.” This episode is not just about one man's trauma—it's about the trauma inflicted by a justice system that gets it wrong, punishes the innocent, and then refuses to listen. 🎙️ “I don’t need a second chance. I never broke trust. I am not who they said I was—and I won’t carry their shame anymore.” 📘 Read the memoir: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s website and legal background: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 Full podcast series and YouTube episodes: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast 📣 Support the campaign for justice: https://gofund.me/0965cdce Tags (for Spotify/RedCircle/YouTube): #ThreeTimesAVictim #FalseAccusation #WrongfulConviction #TraumaSurvivor #MotionForRelief #NarrativeTherapy #MentalHealthAdvocacy #JusticeFailed #CPTSDRecovery #BruceWhealton #YouAreNotAlone #VictimNotPerpetrator #TruthMatters #SystemicInjustice

    10 min

  2. 05/10/2025

    Ep 15 – I Never Broke Trust: Reclaiming My Life After Retraumatization

    🗣️ “I don’t have to win back trust. I never broke it.” In this powerful final chapter of Three Times A Victim, Bruce finds purpose again—working in mental health, helping others heal. But even as he steps into a role of compassion and advocacy, the past claws back. A background check dredges up the false narrative. Internal suspicion replaces support. Once again, Bruce is retraumatized—not by guilt, but by a system unable—or unwilling—to see the truth. 💔 This episode is not about redemption. It’s about injustice repeating itself. It’s about being punished again for surviving. It’s about how shame sticks, even when it doesn’t belong to you. 🧭 In This Episode: ✔️ The cost of being re-labeled by old lies ✔️ How retraumatization unfolds inside systems meant to heal ✔️ Reaffirming identity, dignity, and truth—not for approval, but for liberation ✔️ A closing statement of self: “I am not who they said I was.” 🎧 Listen to the truth—unfiltered, unbroken, and final. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast — #ThreeTimesAVictim #FalseAccusation #Retraumatization #IAmNotWhoTheySaidIWas #SystemicInjustice #VictimNotPerpetrator #CPTSDRecovery #MentalHealthAdvocacy #ToxicShame #VoiceMatters #HealingJourney #JusticeFailed #BruceWhealton #SurvivorVoices #YouAreNotAlone #NarrativeTherapy

    11 min

  3. 05/10/2025

    Ep 14 – Reclaiming My Voice: A Life After Silence

    🎙️ “All that silence had done was bury me deeper in shame—shame that wasn’t mine to carry.” In this redemptive chapter of Three Times A Victim, Bruce begins the slow, courageous journey of reclaiming his voice after years of silence, toxic shame, and systemic betrayal. Emerging from the suicidal breaking point of Episode 13, Bruce’s healing begins in the unlikeliest of places: a hospital, where a fellow patient offers something that had long been missing—compassion and belief. From there, a quiet transformation unfolds. 🕊️ What You’ll Hear in This Episode: ✔️ A life-changing moment of connection in a psychiatric hospital ✔️ The power of peer support and art therapy in trauma recovery ✔️ Rebuilding self-worth through group healing and gentle affirmation ✔️ Discovering voice not by erasing the past, but by finally telling it ✔️ Learning to live—not just survive 💡 With each small step—“I believe you,” “You’re not invisible”—Bruce begins to rise. This is a story of voice reclaimed, pain repurposed, and purpose rediscovered. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast — #ThreeTimesAVictim #ReclaimingMyVoice #YouAreNotInvisible #FalseAccusation #PeerSupport #NarrativeTherapy #ToxicShame #ComplexPTSD #TraumaHealing #VoiceMatters #SurvivorStory #MentalHealthRecovery #JusticeForSurvivors #BruceWhealton #HealingJourney #SuicidePrevention #PodcastSeries #SystemicInjustice #PodcastLife

    17 min

  4. 05/10/2025

    Ep 13 – The Breaking Point: When Silence Becomes Too Much to Bear

    🕳️ “Justice wasn’t going to happen—not ever. And the truth about who I really was... didn’t matter.” After years of false accusations, wrongful conviction, and the slow erosion of hope, Bruce reaches a devastating breaking point. This episode of Three Times A Victim reveals what happens when a person is silenced for too long—and when the system not only fails, but forgets. 💔 In This Episode: ✔️ The unbearable cost of injustice: isolation, despair, and suicidal thoughts ✔️ Toxic shame as a living wound that distorts identity and self-worth ✔️ The fear of never being believed, trusted, or able to work with children ✔️ Hospitalization as both crisis and lifeline ✔️ The desperate longing: “I cannot live with people thinking I could hurt a woman.” ⚠️ This is not just a story about trauma—it’s about the fragile line between survival and surrender. And yet, amid the darkness, there are glimmers of something else: the deep human need to be believed. And the life-saving impact of compassion when it finally arrives. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast — #ThreeTimesAVictim #ToxicShame #WrongfulConviction #FalseAccusation #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthAwareness #CPTSDRecovery #InjusticeSurvivor #TraumaHealing #PodcastStorytelling #VictimNotPerpetrator #HopeAfterDespair #JusticeFailed #BruceWhealton #YouAreNotAlone

    10 min

  5. 05/10/2025

    Ep 12 – Rebuilding a Life: Belonging, Stigma, and the Search for Truth

    🌫️ “Even when comfort returned, shame lingered like a ghost.” After years of betrayal, false conviction, and silence, Bruce returns to Wilmington—not for justice, but for healing. In this tender chapter, we explore what it means to rebuild a life while still carrying the weight of a shattered past. 🌀 In This Episode: ✔️ Fleeting moments of reconnection and comfort ✔️ Poetry as both sanctuary and reminder of lost voice ✔️ The stigma of returning home with a criminal record ✔️ Co-authoring, creative community, and cautious belonging ✔️ Lingering shame in the face of small joys and quiet hope ✔️ Longing—for truth to be heard, for love to be safe again 💭 This episode is a meditation on survival—not through triumph, but through tenderness, truth-telling, and the hard work of resilience. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast —- #ThreeTimesAVictim #ToxicShame #WrongfulConviction #TraumaRecovery #ResilienceStory #VoiceOfTheInnocent #PoetryHealing #YouAreNotAlone #NarrativeTherapy #EmotionalHealing #StigmaAndSurvival #CPTSD #MentalHealthAwareness

    14 min

  6. 05/10/2025

    Ep 11 – Moments of Comfort, Shadows of Shame

    🌫️ “Even when comfort returned, shame lingered like a ghost.” After years of betrayal, false conviction, and silence, Bruce returns to Wilmington—not for justice, but for healing. In this tender chapter, we explore what it means to rebuild a life while still carrying the weight of a shattered past. 🌀 In This Episode: ✔️ Fleeting moments of reconnection and comfort ✔️ Poetry as both sanctuary and reminder of lost voice ✔️ The stigma of returning home with a criminal record ✔️ Co-authoring, creative community, and cautious belonging ✔️ Lingering shame in the face of small joys and quiet hope ✔️ Longing—for truth to be heard, for love to be safe again 💭 This episode is a meditation on survival—not through triumph, but through tenderness, truth-telling, and the hard work of resilience. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast — #ThreeTimesAVictim #ToxicShame #WrongfulConviction #TraumaRecovery #ResilienceStory #VoiceOfTheInnocent #PoetryHealing #YouAreNotAlone #NarrativeTherapy #EmotionalHealing #StigmaAndSurvival #CPTSD #MentalHealthAwareness

    13 min

  7. 05/10/2025

    Ep 10 – Living with the Lie: Surviving Betrayal, Shame, and Silence

    💥 “The crime I never committed is now etched into my record. The truth—my truth—remains unheard.” In this powerful episode of Three Times A Victim, Bruce reflects on life after being coerced into a guilty plea. What follows is not healing—but exile. Branded by a false conviction, Bruce drifts through thirteen years of homelessness, toxic shame, and rejection. 🏚️ What You’ll Hear in This Episode: ✔️ Life after plea—where justice never came ✔️ The emotional weight of a criminal record for a crime not committed ✔️ Toxic shame and internalized isolation ✔️ Betrayal by Amanda and the collapse of trust ✔️ Brief moments of hope: a kind mental health worker, a glimpse of connection ✔️ The question that lingers: What does it mean to live a life branded by lies? Even in this silence, Bruce’s voice begins to rise again—not in rage, but in resilient truth. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website: bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist: bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast — #threetimesavictim #wrongfulconviction #toxicshame #LifeAfterPleaDeal #cptsdrecovery #survivorstory #falselyaccused #narrativetherapy #healingjourney #justicefailed #invisiblewounds #VictimNotCriminal #livingwithtrauma #emotionalresilience

    12 min

  8. 05/10/2025

    Ep 9 – Coerced into Silence: The Plea Deal That Stole the Truth

    💥 “I told the truth… but no one wanted to hear it. So they made me lie.” After months of trauma, incarceration, and betrayal, Bruce is summoned to court expecting justice. What happens instead is a silent ambush—a plea deal forced upon him in a matter of minutes. ⚖️ What You'll Hear in This Episode:✔️ A surprise court appearance with no preparation or support✔️ A public defender who flips—from believing Bruce to pressuring him to plead✔️ A guilty plea to second-degree kidnapping—despite no trial, no evidence, no justice✔️ The dissociation and “freeze” response as Bruce says the words he was told to say✔️ The woman who assaulted him walks free✔️ Bruce walks away with a criminal record and a shattered identity 💔 This is the cost of coerced silence: a survivor legally declared guilty, and the truth left unspoken. 🎧 Hear Bruce’s story—raw, honest, and finally told the way it never was in court. — 📘 Read the full memoir on Amazon:bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimMemoir 🌐 Author’s Website:bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook 🎧 YouTube Playlist:bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast — Tags:#ThreeTimesAVictim #FalseAccusation #PleaDeal #CoercedSilence #JusticeFailed #VictimNotCriminal #TraumaSurvivor #CPTSDRecovery #NarrativeTherapy #LegalBetrayal #SystemicInjustice #MentalHealthAwareness #FreezeResponse #WrongfulConviction

    11 min
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About

A therapist devoted to healing others - including survivors of rape and trauma - becomes the victim of violence… and then gets arrested. Yes, they arrested the victim, not the perpetrator. The system fails him, punishing the very person it should have protected. A memoir podcast from Bruce Whealton, a writer, mental health professional, and trauma survivor. Based on the book Three Times A Victim. Please start with Episode 1—this is a true story meant to be heard in order, from Episode 1 to 15. Learn more: linktr.ee/brucewhealton. Same for Kathy, Bruce Sr. ., Carrie, and John Whealton

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