New Beginnings for Sexual Abuse Survivors
Sexual Abuse Recovery
Just as a wound in our foot can become infected and sore if not dealt with properly, so do the wounds of sexual abuse. The longer we hide our wounds without treating them, the more the infection and pain spreads throughout our entire being.
The one thing that abusers want is secrecy. By keeping quiet and remaining silent, we are pleasing our abusers. Secrecy, silence, shame, things hidden in darkness; these are the tools of an abuser.
Victims of abuse, hide their pain, their past, their very history until the pain becomes unbearable. The pain of abuse will work its way out into our bodies, causing all kinds of symptoms that need attention. Many of us seek the care of our doctors in an attempt to silence the pain, without realizing our pain is rooted in our past abuse. Once we understand the truth of our pain, mentally, emotionally and physically, we can then begin to face the truth of our lives and do the hard work of recovery.
One of the books I've read on sexual abuse recovery is titled, "A New Beginning - Daily Devotions for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse". This little devotional book contains short testimonies of women who have or are in the process of recovering from their own sexual abuse. It is a small book that packs a big punch. It covers just about every aspect of abuse and is a very encouraging book. It serves to remind us that we can have a new beginning. Our past history of sexual abuse does not have to hold us in bondage. We can begin to live, free of pain, when we begin to face the truth of our lives.
Facing the truth of your abuse and accepting it as the truth of your life is a very difficult task. There will be days when you feel as if you simply cannot go on. It happens to all of us. Yet, we know that we cannot quit, we cannot turn back. We must continue to press our way forward, facing the truth of our abuse and denying our abusers the power they once held. Breaking the silence, telling our stories, removing the shame and placing the responsibility of the abuse upon our abusers is all a part of our recovery process.
The journey can be long and painful, but you will find renewed strength for your journey as you push through the lies and the deceit that you have known in the past. The peace, joy and freedom that is available is a wonderful reward for all the hard work. New beginnings are truly possible for every victim of childhood sexual abuse.
Recommended Reading:
A New Beginning - Daily Devotions for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse
Serenity Meditation Series - Published by Thomas Nelson
Samaritan Counseling Center
Published by Vicki Messer
In 1997 I began a personal journey of healing from years of childhood sexual abuse. For the better part of 10 years, I worked my way through the painful repressed memories of incest at the hands of several... View profile
- Chrisitian Minister Beth Moore Talks About Sexual AbuseThis is about a television show I saw this morning. Beth Moore was using an analogy from a book written by Gilda Radner. She compared it to those who have been victims of sexual abuse.
Overcoming the Physical Pain Associated with Recovery from Childhood...After having a conversation recently with several survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I was reminded, once again, about how much physical pain there is in this recovery process.- Four Key Things I've Learned About Recovery from Incest and Sexual AbuseAn overview of the recovery process for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and incest.
- Survivors of Abuse
- Child Sexual Abuse Hysteria Takes Another Turn for the Worse
- Teaching Education and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
- How Sexual Abuse Changed My Life
- Ethical Issues in Counseling Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse
- The Monster in My Closet: My Story of Sexual Abuse
- How I Broke the Silence of Sexual Abuse
- Most of us as survivors of childhood sexual abuse, hide our pain.
- The one thing that abusers want is secrecy.
- There will be days when you feel as if you simply cannot go on.