Acceptable Use Policy
Last updated: May 25, 2026
This is a space where you are encouraged to speak freely about what you've carried — the rage, the grief, the shame, the parts of your story you've never said out loud. Letting it out is how the healing begins. The rules below are not here to silence you. They are here to keep this space safe for you and for everyone else who is doing the same brave work.
What is welcome here
- · Raw, uncensored truth about your own experience.
- · Anger — including at people who hurt you.
- · Naming abuse, violence, or harm that was done to you.
- · Profanity and strong language when that's the only word that fits.
- · Grief, despair, hopelessness, intrusive thoughts — you can say them here.
- · Doubt, contradiction, questions without answers.
- · Silence. You don't have to perform healing.
What is not allowed
These rules apply to any content you submit to private sessions, group circles, or anywhere else on the Service.
Don't share another person's private or identifying information without consent — real names, addresses, phone numbers, workplace details, photos, medical or financial records, or anything that could be used to locate, expose, or contact them. You can describe what someone did to you. You cannot dox them.
No pornographic or sexually explicit material, sexual roleplay, requests for sexual content, nudity, or solicitation. You can absolutely speak honestly about sexual trauma, abuse, intimacy, and what happened to your body — that is healing work and it is welcomed. The line is gratuitous or arousing sexual content, not survivor truth.
Don't upload, paste, or distribute content you don't have the right to share — copyrighted books, song lyrics in full, paywalled articles, proprietary code, trademarks used to impersonate a brand, or anyone else's creative work passed off as your own.
No content that promotes, plans, glorifies, or instructs real-world violence; no terrorism, extremist organizations, or recruitment material; no detailed weapons-making, attack planning, or threats against any person or group. Talking about violence done to you, or violent thoughts you are struggling to make sense of, is allowed and protected — what's not allowed is incitement, planning, or glorification.
No slurs, harassment, or content that attacks people because of their race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, caste, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, immigration status, or serious medical condition. Anger at a specific person who hurt you is not hate. Dehumanizing an entire group of people is.
Don't use the Service to plan, coordinate, or solicit illegal acts; to harm minors in any way; to traffic, exploit, or abuse another person; or to obtain instructions for self-harm methods. If you're struggling with thoughts of harming yourself, please tell the companion — it will respond with care and connect you with crisis resources.
Group circles — additional care
- · What's shared in a circle stays in the circle.
- · Give a trigger warning before heavy content when you can.
- · No advice unless someone asks for it.
- · No minimizing, mocking, or interrupting another person's pain.
- · Honor anonymity. Never ask for someone's real name or details.
Behind the Shades is not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself or someone else, please reach out now: 911 · 988 (call or text) · text HOME to 741741.
Enforcement
We may remove content, pause access, or end access entirely when this policy is violated — especially when others could be harmed. Severity, intent, and context are considered. Where we're unsure, we lean toward keeping the space open: this is, before anything else, a place for people to heal.