| Healing the impact of childhood abuse is a | | | | helpful to you. As you gradually replace |
| difficult yet hopeful process. If you were | | | | these defenses with healthier coping skills |
| physically or sexually abused as a child, you | | | | you are freer to be in touch with what is |
| may often feel fragmented, confused, | | | | inside you. You learn to experience a broader |
| vulnerable, and somewhat chaotic inside. You | | | | range of feelings, accurately name them, and |
| may have difficulty with trust and intimacy | | | | make choices about expressing them. During |
| in your relationships, and your emotions may | | | | this time your relationship with your body is |
| seem unpredictable and volatile to you. You | | | | also very significant. The way the abuse has |
| may also have a generalized feeling that you | | | | affected your feelings about your body, and |
| are somehow "bad" or unworthy, and therefore, | | | | your body's need for healing are part of the |
| not like yourself very much. You may also | | | | healing process. At this point Group Therapy |
| feel guilty, as though you caused the abuse. | | | | &/or Trauma Touch Therapy (TM) can be |
| All of these experiences are common and make | | | | integrated into your journey and provide |
| sense in light of your childhood experience. | | | | additional avenues for healing. Your |
| There IS hope! An integrated and intentional | | | | relationship with yourself changes as you are |
| approach in therapy can lead to healing in | | | | able to have compassion for yourself, grieve |
| these areas of your life. This healing | | | | your losses, and honor the truth of your |
| involves reconnecting with parts of yourself | | | | experience. The fragmentation you developed |
| that seem disconnected and alienated, | | | | as a way of staying safe becomes less |
| reclaiming your life by learning to be in | | | | necessary and you can begin developing a more |
| charge of your behavior and make good | | | | cohesive sense of yourself as an adult. While |
| choices, and transforming your relationship | | | | this is a difficult time in the process, it |
| to self and others. It may be helpful to | | | | is also one that is full of meaning, |
| think of the healing process as taking place | | | | transformation and hope. |
| in three primary stages: 1) getting started; | | | | |
| 2) reconnecting with yourself; and 3) moving | | | | Moving On occurs as you are increasingly able |
| on. | | | | to integrate your new awareness and |
| | | | experience of yourself on every level. How |
| Getting Started is primarily focused on | | | | you think about yourself and the abuse is |
| helping you understand what you are | | | | changing. Now you are open to new ways of |
| experiencing, what you can expect from | | | | viewing the world, others and yourself. Your |
| therapy, and how you can help yourself | | | | new skills and ability to manage your |
| through the process. In this stage, | | | | feelings and maintain healthy boundaries |
| understanding is empowerment. During this | | | | bring with it the possibility for meaningful |
| time you learn new ways of thinking about the | | | | relationships. Perhaps most importantly, you |
| abuse and its effects. You develop skills and | | | | may become less likely to identify yourself |
| strategies for handling flashbacks, emotional | | | | in terms of the abuse, as you move from being |
| intensity and boundary issues. Perhaps most | | | | a survivor to being a thriver. You may |
| importantly, you develop emotional self-care | | | | experience increasing levels of energy to |
| skills that will enable you to nurture, | | | | give to those things in the "here and now" |
| comfort, and calm yourself as you move | | | | that are important to you, as less of your |
| through your healing journey. These skills | | | | energy is given to protecting yourself from |
| can help you feel safer with the emotions | | | | the impact of the abuse. |
| that may seem overwhelming now. | | | | |
| | | | As a survivor, you learned to use your |
| Reconnecting With Yourself is the heart of | | | | "smarts" and ingenuity to get through an |
| the healing process, and takes commitment, | | | | overwhelmingly painful experience. As a |
| courage, and a desire for wholeness. During | | | | thriver, these internal resources that served |
| this time you learn to identify the ways you | | | | you so well are transformed into strengths |
| have protected yourself that are no longer | | | | for living fully in the present. |