Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Elizabeth Smart has opened up about how she has been able to be intimate with her husband after the trauma of being kidnapped at 14.
As a teenager, Smart was captured by Wanda Barzee and Brian David Mitchell, becoming the subject of the latest true crime documentary on Netflix. She was subjected to rape and sexual violence, as well as mental and physical torture, over the nine months where she was held captive at a remote campsite in Utah.
Smart would eventually be found thanks to her sister reading the Guinness Book of World Records, though not before she was tortured and occasionally brought into town by the couple with a veil over her face.
Advert
Recently, the American explained that she did not have 'Stockholm Syndrome', instead being aware of the situation which could have left her dead, adapting to her environment.
She recalled: "I remember realising that I could die, these monsters could kill me at any point in time, and my mind immediately went to 'what can I do that will help me survive?'"
Smart tried to 'get them to like me', which involved 'doing what they want me to do'. It's revealed in the Netflix doc that she was rescued after an officer spotted her and separated her from Mitchell and Barzee.
Years on from staying silent when being questioned by police, she is now free, and happily married with three children.
Speaking about everything being her 'choice', Smart explained in a video on her YouTube channel: "I have a wonderful husband, but it was all my choice. I chose to get married. I chose to engage in intimate relations with my husband, those are my choices."
"If I ever said stop, he would stop. For me, intimacy means something. Intimacy is special. It's not just something I'm willing to share with everyone, you know," she said.
"I just I choose to share it only with my husband and I have such a deep trust with him and I can be fully vulnerable with him," Smart admitted.
She went on: "You're the one setting the boundaries. Respect. Knowing that your partner respects you, that your partner would never hurt you, that you can trust them.
"That's the third one - trusting that if you said no at any point, your partner would say okay and not hold it against you because I get we can all get in the moment and be a bit hot and heavy, and if you say I don't like that, it can be a little bit off-putting," Smart acknowledged.
Smart concluded, later in the video: "I would definitely say if this is something that you really struggled with, there is no shame in asking for help."
The mum added: "There is there's nothing wrong with going to a therapist and saying you need help with therapist.
"There's nothing wrong with going to a sex therapist, a sex coach to help you work through these problems so you can have intimacy in your life."
"Because however the world views it, whatever walk of life you're from or religion you're from, intimacy is is an important part of life and you know, everyone should be able to enjoy it," the 38-year-old said.
Speaking in a newly released Tudum interview, Smart added: "I also hope it brings comfort that there are happy endings - and that even after terrible things happen, you can still have a wonderful life.”
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart is available to stream on Netflix now.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Mental Health, Netflix, True Crime, US News
Joshua Nair