Overcoming Sexual Abuse | Lori Golden, Author

There is FEAR IN CHANGE for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Why We Cannot Heal Alone

The definition of change is “become different.” It sounds simple, but it is not easy. It calls for us to step into unchartered territory without knowing what will happen. We like predictability and knowing what to expect. Before stepping into the unknown, we first have to identify how we protect ourselves. Self-protection was a life saver when suffering from childhood sexual abuse, but to grow beyond survival, we have to identify how we guard ourselves. Laying down our “protective weapons” means we are unsafe. If we lived in the war zone of abuse, we do … Read more

Ten Ways Survivors May Overcome Suffering from Childhood Abuse

10 Ways Survivors May Overcome Suffering from Childhood Abuse

Suffering is a conditioned response to abuse. Those who have suffered abuse grow up believing there is no way out, they are trapped and unable to get the abuse to stop. However, adult survivors can learn to stop being self-abusive and can develop a different way to treat themselves. They can learn self-compassion, self-love, and how to learn to be patient with their recovery. It is important for survivors to remember not only that new behaviors take practice and happen slowly over time, but also to learn to pat themselves on the back for trying. … Read more

Sleepless Nights as a Result of Childhood Sexual Abuse

As I remembered my incest, it affected my sleep. I kept saying to myself, “I am JUST A CHILD – I JUST WANT TO SLEEP.”

Childhood Sexual Abuse Impact Survivors Behaviorally

Childhood sexual abuse directly impacts the way we act in all areas of our lives, particularly in relationships where the underlying fear is most prevalent … leading to mistrust of others. How Abuse Effects Relationships Often there is a confusion about love and sex or comfort and sex. Survivors may want to be nurtured, but believe they can achieve this only through sex. There is difficulty in trusting others, letting people in, being able to ask for what you need or only able to identify what your partner wants and needs. Abuse leads to the … Read more

Emergency Stage of Remembering

YOU CAN HEAL … IT IS PAINFUL … IT TAKES TIME … YOU CANNOT DO IT ALONE IT CAN END AS LONG AS YOU MAKE A DECISION TO RECOVER Emergency Stage of Remembering As a survivor, I can tell you it gets better with time and there is an end. At first the pain feels intolerable and impossible to believe that it will end. Once you know you are a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, whether you always remembered or had amnesia, it is overwhelming and frightening, shocking and rattles to the core. It is … Read more

Maladaptive Dissociation

I reached a point in my recovery from Incest where I understood that dissociation no longer served me. As a child it was adaptive, as an adult, it was maladaptive.

Swept Away on the Turbulent Wave of Remembering – Childhood Sexual Abuse

Remembering is a wave of turbulence Spiraling down Believing you will die from its force Or drown in your grief over your loss of innocence Tumbling round and round Repeating over and over I was just a child At times the ride feels terrifying At times hopeless You want to rage at the injustice! How could this have happened? Will this ever end? It Will End If you don’t give up and You ride the wave to completion The immense turbulence will lessen And the once scary ride will be joyous by Lori Golden ======================== … Read more