01-27-2008, 01:51 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Im a triangle
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,523
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Sexual Assualt
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."- James Baldwin
Sexual assault is any sexual activity involving a person who does not or cannot consent.
Rape is a devastating crime that brings with it scars and fears that can last for years, and in some cases, a life time. For many survivors rape is a defining moment that divides their life....life before the rape and life after.
The violence does not end with the sexual abuse, with the assault, the insults and the humiliation. The violence keeps repeating itself in a time that seems endless. For so many people it's hard to understand how much pain remains after a rape. The trauma imprisons you from the inside and it's often misunderstood. Sexual abuse survivors are left feeling vulnerable, angry, betrayed, frightened, violated, dirty, embarrassed and powerless.
Yet, there is the tendency to think that rape needs to be hidden. A large percent of survivors are haunted by feelings of guilt, self-blame and shame, because in our society the common response to rape is embarrassment. Rape is still considered an unspeakable crime, something people do not want to acknowledge. This statement suggests that sexual abuse survivors should not speak about their experience to spare others from an unpleasant issue. This contributes enormously in increasing their isolations and pain. People who are mugged and robbed don't feel ashamed and no one treats them differently, but when the crime is rape suddenly everything changes.
We have to ask ourselves what it is that makes people want to look away....
The possible consequences of a sexual assault are uncountable. Each person reacts in a unique way, sexual abuse survivors might experience some, none, or even all of the following: - Anger
- Depression
- Drug Addiction
- Eating Disorders
- Fear of Intimacy
- Flashbacks
- Inability to Sleep
- Nightmares
- P.T.S.D.
- Rape trauma Syndrome
- Shame
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Self Injury
- And many others....
The denial of chronic feelings, such as depression or frustration, it's very dangerous and it can leave us in a perpetual state of needing to live a lie. This cuts us off from the world and effects the way we interact with others. If we are too afraid to face our true feelings and keep maintaining a false image, we will not be able to deal with our grief.
Seeking professional help can for many of us be one of the hardest thing to do. We might be scared that it will open a can of worms we don't want to see. But pain is a sign that something needs attention, counseling is a gift we give to our self, an expression of self caring. Being haunted by the past can have a serious impact, therapy can help each of us to understand, accept and overcome.
Please remember that asking for help is a sign of maturity and strength and not of weakness....it takes a lot of courage.
I hope you can find a way to free yourself from the pain that imprisons you
__________________
All the things we used to think were happiness, in the end were only pleasures.
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sexual assualt
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