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How do I deal with childhood sexual abuse without triggering anxiety and self-injury?

Posted by admin on Mar 27, 2009

I had a session last night in which I disclosed this 30-year secret. I pretty much fell to pieces. At the end of the session, my counselor informed me that she was going out of town for the long holiday weekend, as are all the members of my family and most of my friends. I'm concerned that I will hurt myself, not tell anyone, feel ashamed, and then the whole cycle will begin again. Any ideas?

RELAX..BREATHE..ARE YOU FEELING SUICIDAL NOW ? ARE YOU CUTTING ? BE HONEST. IF YOU ARE YOU NEED TO SEEK TREATMENT (HOSPITALIZATION) NOW ,AT AN IN-PATIENT PROGRAM AT A MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL. IF YOU ARE NOT AND ARE JUST UPSET BECAUSE YOU FEEL YOUR DR. BAILED ON YOU, THEN START TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL WITH SOME ONE CLOSE TO YOU. SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR AS SOON AS SHE RETURNS. YOU AND SHE NEED TO RESOLVE THESE FEELING YOU ARE EXPERIENCING AS SOON, OR YOU WILL NOT TRUST HER TO BE THERE FOR YOU. IN THE FUTURE YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK AHEAD OF TIME IF THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR THE BOTH OF YOU GET INTO SOME VERY INTENSE ISSUES. SO THAT YOU WILL TRUST HER TO BE THERE FOR YOU IF NEEDED.DON'T LET WHAT HAPPENED STOP YOU FROM MOVING FORWARD, YOU HAVE JUST TAKEN 2 VERY BIG STEPS,DISCLOSING A SECRET , AND ASKING FOR HELP ! KEEP STEPPING YOU CAN DO IT ! GO TO THE HOSPITAL IF YOU NEED TO THAT WHY THEY ARE THERE !

13 Comments »

aintgotnotime4u:

What happened to you wasn't your fault. The only reason you carry it with you is you feel you are to blame. Everyone in the world could forgive youu, but until you forgive yourself the burden will be yours to bear.
Let it go and free yourself!
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March 27th, 2009 | 9:29 am
pilgram92003:

I kept the secret for over 50 years,I don't have enough space to tell you how much it effected my life but I'll tell you briefly when I finally let it out. At 58 years old I ended up in a drug re-hab and a fellow came in and shared about the same thing, the courage of that one man caused 6 other people to give him support and shared about their experience, 23 people were in that room and we opened up, the healing process was started. That was 3 years ago and since then have shared about it in front of some times a few hundred people at 12 step meetings, always get people tell me "thanks I been there" peace
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recovery meetings

March 27th, 2009 | 9:52 am
DODA:

RELAX..BREATHE..ARE YOU FEELING SUICIDAL NOW ? ARE YOU CUTTING ? BE HONEST. IF YOU ARE YOU NEED TO SEEK TREATMENT (HOSPITALIZATION) NOW ,AT AN IN-PATIENT PROGRAM AT A MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL. IF YOU ARE NOT AND ARE JUST UPSET BECAUSE YOU FEEL YOUR DR. BAILED ON YOU, THEN START TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL WITH SOME ONE CLOSE TO YOU. SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR AS SOON AS SHE RETURNS. YOU AND SHE NEED TO RESOLVE THESE FEELING YOU ARE EXPERIENCING AS SOON, OR YOU WILL NOT TRUST HER TO BE THERE FOR YOU. IN THE FUTURE YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK AHEAD OF TIME IF THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR THE BOTH OF YOU GET INTO SOME VERY INTENSE ISSUES. SO THAT YOU WILL TRUST HER TO BE THERE FOR YOU IF NEEDED.DON'T LET WHAT HAPPENED STOP YOU FROM MOVING FORWARD, YOU HAVE JUST TAKEN 2 VERY BIG STEPS,DISCLOSING A SECRET , AND ASKING FOR HELP ! KEEP STEPPING YOU CAN DO IT ! GO TO THE HOSPITAL IF YOU NEED TO THAT WHY THEY ARE THERE !
References :

March 27th, 2009 | 10:20 am
jimmy e:

sexual abuse is one of the most difficult scars to get rid of especially child abuse,

and when "we " are finally able to tell someone about it it is as if a ton of bricks have been lifted from us.

I to have faced this problem , the problem of accepting the fact that what happened was not my fault,

it happened , but it became a part of who i wa even as a child,
along with the physical abuse there is almost always some form of brainwashing of the child.

something to convince the child that if they tell someone something bad will happen to them or someone they care about.

along with sexual abuse there is FEAR, that by itself is an ugly place to be in.

i am 56yrs old and kept the secret from comming out until my mother died in 2002.
because of the shame it would bring to her.

there are still many secrets i hold about this kind of thing in my life , it was as much an everyday thing a sgetting up to go to the bathroom.

but the real truth is that if we don't share with others about this kind of thing then we to become part of the deciet that hurt us.

and we need to tell others to support others facing this problem. it is truely in the having someone there who knows how you feel, exactly how you feel this is where the healing come from in helping other over the bridges we have already crossed ,

may God Bless and keep you.

PS PRAYER always helps
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EXTREMELY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE>

March 27th, 2009 | 10:54 am
mamalovevin:

I know how you feel because I am dealing with the same thing you are but hurting yourself is not the answer. I have caused self-injury and I have hurt myself pretty bad. If you can't control your impulses to hurt yourself, then go to the hospital so they can look after you for a couple of days until your family returns or if there is a friend who is willing to come and stay with you or you can go to them then by all means go and go right now. My heart goes out to you and all of us that are hurting from the pain someone else caused us. Best wishes.
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March 27th, 2009 | 10:59 am
von:

First off your doctor should of gave you a crisis hot line number to call. Their are doctors on call twenty four hour, that are willing to talk to you. You don't have to go into the hospital or anything like that, their there to help you get through your crisis and are there to help set up an appointment with a doctor, as soon as possible if you need it. Call your local mental health office to get this number. I'm sorry you had this unnecessary experiece. I was sexually abused from two to twenty one. As a sexual abused survivor you will have triggers. I do and I've been in therapy for 14 yeaars. You need to remember that the abuse isn't happening now so breath deeply and side track your mind by doing something, anything different to get your mind off it. It doesn't always work but the more you train your mind to side track it, the easier it will be to do. I suffer from self harm too. But I know that if I get to the point, I really might cut my throat, I get to the hospital. I have been told that if its that serious that the hospital and staff are their for me. Thank God! I wish you all the best. hugs!
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March 27th, 2009 | 11:04 am
the queen is here:

well you asked this question a week ago… so i hope you are ok and did not bring harm to yourself.

next time if you feel this way there are usually numbers you can call, hotlines… or you could chat online… it is always best to talk to someone… BETTER to speak to professionals… you may want to ask your therapist if she/he goes out of town again to give you a list of people you may contact in case you feel overwhelmed while she/he is away.
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March 27th, 2009 | 11:35 am
mrsjatice:

check yourself into the hospital…i had to do it before and it helped
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March 27th, 2009 | 12:11 pm
treecie06:

you need to get some serious counseling, get rid of that pain n world you've been carrying around inside. it's time to set yourself free.
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March 27th, 2009 | 12:39 pm
greeneyedfrog87:

Let your counselor know how you are feeling and ask if she can recommend another Dr. for you to see while she is away. If you feel as though you would hurt yourself, call a hospital or the police. There is no shame in getting help.
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March 27th, 2009 | 1:23 pm
luvouhellen:

If you are affraid that you are going to hurt yourself,then you might consider checking yourself into the hospital,so they can keep a eye on you!!! If you need someone to talk to,IM me,I'm a good listener!!! I've been sexually abused when I was younger also,you don't need to feel ashamed or feel like it is your fault!! It isn't,who ever did this to you is one sick person,you did nothing wrong!!!
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March 27th, 2009 | 2:08 pm
southernlady69:

i know how u feel and i also waited untill i was in my 30s to tell because it was a family member.i think about every day and it never goes away unless i am in a good place with the lord.please feel free to email me if u need to and may god take ur pain away 4always and no one is worth suicide.
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March 27th, 2009 | 2:46 pm
Ms. Legendary Booty:

Know that this was not any fault of your own. Face it head on. If you can go through something like this God has already shown you your strength. The fact that your able to talk about it is another obvious sign of your strength.There is nothing to feel ashamed about. You cannot control what other people do to you. However you can control the way you feel about yourself.Know that you are strong and this is something you had to go through in order to grow. Don't let the person who did this to you win! Send a message, that you will be alright and because of this they have only made you a better person, a stronger person, a light for others to see and follow. I know because i had this happen to me also when i was four. You are out of the darkness now. Come with me and enjoy the light. Trust me your worth some time in the sunshine!!!
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March 27th, 2009 | 3:19 pm
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