A woman whose own parents had her kidnapped has bravely spoken out on how she’s making the most of the harrowing impact it had on her.
Natasia Pelowski has opened up about the traumatic experience in an essay published on Newsweek last week.
It all started a decade ago on November 23, 2014 when she was just 16 years old, and she woke up to 'boots pounding outside my lilac bedroom' in her home.
"My mother kept everything pristine in our Northern California home—no one wore shoes inside. So I knew something was off," Natasia began.
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She recalled her door 'bursting open' before a man and woman appeared and demanded: "Come with us."
Natasia said 'no' and 'froze' before the man came closer and told her: 'I wasn't asking."
He then grabbed the teenager by the arm, with a grip Natasia said felt 'like a blood pressure machine'. After screaming for help, the pair 'tackled' and 'handcuffed' her.
"They carried me downstairs where my mom stood by the front door," she went on.
The woman then told her 'only your parents can stop this' before her mother, who was standing still, mouthed: "Sorry."
Natasia carried on writing: "My captors didn't stop moving. They shoved me into the back of a cold, black car and drove away from my Silicon Valley neighbourhood and my childhood."
"I've been tormented by nightmares ever since," Natasia shared. "All I knew then was what my captors told me: my parents hired my kidnappers."
She opened up about struggling with depression in high school and how her parents tried to deal with it, pointing to something called 'gooning' - described by Natasia as 'forcibly transporting kids' into the 'troubled teen industry' which her family participated in, hence the kidnapping.
"For ten years, I struggled to understand how my family could have abandoned me," she continued. "It's always haunted me that children are still being subjected to brutal treatment programs like mine.
"Today, I know that my abduction wasn't unique."
She referred to it as a 'corrupt network of juvenile mental health institutions known for abusing minors', stating that it receives over $23 billion in public funds annually and holds over 120,000 to 200,000 minors at any given time.
During her 'kidnap', she spent 53 days at a wilderness camp without electricity or shoes.
"I was repeatedly strip-searched, prevented from speaking to my peers for weeks at a time, and forced to work in fields," she explained.
Admitting that she 'no longer' blames her parents, Natasia questioned: "I wonder why lawmakers who hold the power to save vulnerable youth fail to do so."
She's now calling for lawmakers to pass legislation to 'federally regulate these institutions', adding: "It's a new opportunity for lawmakers to reconcile their failure to protect young people.
"I hope Congress will use its power to support Senate Bill 1043 to free kids trapped in treatment of unwarranted restraints and isolation. It's past time lawmakers take action to regulate the troubled teen industry."
Natasia concluded: "A decade later, I still double check my door is locked every night."
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Real Life, True Life, US News, Mental Health
Rhiannon Ingle