More questions?
Common questions about feelings associated with sexual abuse
What are some common reactions of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse?
Common feelings include:
- depression and anxiety
- shame
- guilt
- self-blame
- confusion
- anger and rage
Why is shame a factor in the survivor's sense of self?
The adult survivor's predominant view of self is often bound by shame. Adults continue to ask themselves how and why the abuse happened to them. They feel fated and contaminated and are often in despair. Both the women's and men's groups at Shepherd's serve to normalize feelings, and the results are that the survivor starts to feel the support of others, learning that they are not alone.
Are there physical effects that survivors of abuse typically experience as adults?
In adulthood, anxiety and fear-related physical symptoms are common, including:
- gastrointestinal disturbances
- respiratory distress
- gynecological problems
- immunological disturbances
- chronic pain
- muscular tension
- stress reactions such as migraine headaches and teeth grinding (TMJ)
- panic attacks
Common questions about regaining trust and intimacy
Do adult survivors sometimes face barriers to a healthy sexual life?
Sexual abuse can strongly affect adult sexuality and sexual functioning. This includes:
- sexual behavior in adolescence and early adulthood
- questions of sexual orientation and preference
- sexual arousal, response and satisfaction difficulties
Therapists at Shepherd's believe that there can be significant unlearning of unhealthy responses and relearning of healthy ones. The partner support groups tend to educate partners to understand the dilemma that survivors find themselves in – how to regain ownership of their own bodies while continuing to love their partners, husbands and wives.
Can survivors ever love and be intimately involved again?
Relationships require trust and vulnerability and some adult survivors experience intimacy as entrapping and threatening rather than satisfying. Couples counseling at Shepherd's offers clients a way of working through these issues with the goal of intimate and committed relationships as a key to health and happiness.
What about the survivor's relationship with their extended families?
The conflicted relationship and prescribed roles with parents and siblings often continue into adulthood. Abuse can adversely affect many adult survivor's ability to parent their own children adequately. However, attending to the dynamics of childhood trauma can often effectively stop the cycle of abuse and help parents establish healthy and satisfying relationships with their children and other family members.
Common questions about the process at Shepherd's
What can I expect from therapy at Shepherd's?
Shepherd's Counseling Services provides a place to be heard and valued. Our therapists are all trained to listen, to encourage, to motivate, to guide and to be with you while your story unfolds.
What benefits might I get from therapy?
We help you to unlearn some of the judgments and misperceptions that are holding you in negative, self-critical places and also to help you relearn more positive ways of living an energized and happy life – the life you deserve to live. See more about the benefits of therapy.
How do I take the first steps?
Once you decide to contact Shepherd's, the process begins with a free initial interview appointment with our Clinical Supervisor. Options will be discussed, and, if appropriate, you will be assigned to one of our therapists for individual or group therapy services.
What if I can't afford therapy?
Issues surrounding affordability can be discussed as well. Shepherd's wants to reduce any obstacles to your desire to heal.
What should I do if I feel I am in crisis?
If you find yourself in immediate need of help when Shepherd's is closed, please call the Crisis Clinic at (206) 461-3222. This is a 24-hour crisis line.