Whether at the hands of someone you trust or a complete stranger, sexual abuse has a way of making you feel alone. The internal isolation you experience projects itself on every aspect of your life, prompting you to push away friends, loved ones and the majority of the outside world. Most victims either don’t understand their feelings or can’t express them; in some cases, both are true. You may be ashamed to try to talk to others about what happened to you or afraid of their reactions.
These are common feelings among victims of sexual abuse. Many retreats into books, television, the internet or other avenues of escape, but these provide temporary relief at best. Some can’t even find comfort in sleep because the images follow them into their dreams. No one is born with the knowledge of how to cope with trauma like this, but through Sexual Abuse Counseling in Chalfont PA, you can learn new ways of dealing with the pain now and working toward putting it behind you for the future.
You may be avoiding life, whether purposefully or subconsciously, in an effort to suppress the memories of what happened to you. Like many, you may even feel a sense of guilt, continually asking yourself if you could’ve done something differently to prevent it. It’s important to keep in mind, no matter what the circumstances may have been, it wasn’t your fault. Trying to force the memories away isn’t the answer.
As difficult as it may seem, emotional recovery requires acknowledging the experience and processing all your negative feelings. Scars lingering from your trauma may take some time to heal, but all hope isn’t lost. The first step toward healing is asking for help, and this type of guidance is provided with Sexual Abuse Counseling in Chalfont PA.
More than 1,350,000 adults and 63,000 children are victims of sexual abuse each year in America, and those are only the cases reported. No doubt, hundreds of thousands more suffer in secret. Help is available, both in individual and group sessions. Opening up may be difficult in the beginning, but it’s well worth it in the end. Contact Mary V. Shull Counseling for a consultation or to set up an appointment.
