Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse | Incest
There are common misconceptions about love and boundaries that are meant to protect relationships but actually sabotage them. I’ll clear up the confusion and share the truths so you can care for yourself and others for deeper love and connection.
Even if you’ve developed boundaries in other relationships, it can be especially difficult to set boundaries with your family. They may still see you as a child and might even feel entitled to have a say in your life. Though it can feel frustrating and even shameful to revert to childhood roles, I share powerful tools for finally asserting yourself so you’re free to live on your own terms.
In a dysfunctional family, rupture and repair, disconnection and reconnection isn’t modeled to you. Conflict is threatening so you betray yourself and work to keep the peace so you can avoid being abandoned. I share from my own life how I’ve overcome this and give you the specific steps for not only engaging in healthy conflict but using it for deeper connection.
If you grew up in dysfunction, it can be very difficult to develop boundaries with your family in adulthood. I’ll share how to overcome the pressures to go along with the way things have been. Then I’ll give you a simple formula for expressing boundaries and some practical tips for thriving during family events.
Childhood sexual abuse can lead to perpetual people pleasing even after the abuse ends. I’ll share the damage it causes to yourself and to your relationships and why it’s vital to treat your yes as sacred. I’ll show you the best way to own your no and take back control of your life.
The relationship with your family of origin is for your survival and wellbeing. But what if the relationship is actually harmful? At what point is estrangement a good option? I’ll share the pros and cons of staying and leaving, the specific ways you can gain clarity and hidden signs that the relationship is actually already over.
Gaslighting is when someone tries to dismantle your reality by invalidating your thoughts, observations, perceptions, and feelings. Survivors of abuse are particularly vulnerable. I’ll share how to identify gaslighting, how to escape it and then keep yourself safe from it in the future.
After the violation of abuse, it can feel wrong to deny access to things that actually belong to you. What’s yours doesn’t feel like yours and that can trigger feelings of guilt when you start to say no. I’ll lead you through some simple exercises so guilt will never stand between you and your boundaries again.
by Christina Enevoldsen Fourteen years ago this month, I left my abusive marriage. I didn’t have any vision for a life apart from David, but I also couldn’t imagine staying. I wasn’t looking for freedom from abuse. Abuse wasn’t even on my radar. I wasn’t “taking a stand.” I didn’t feel powerful or brave; I simply knew I wouldn’t have a lifeRead more
by Anne Lauren I’m an open-water swimmer: I prefer to dive into rivers, lakes, bays, and oceans instead of pools. I’m also a childhood incest survivor: I carry the weight of trauma and the work of recovery wherever I go. I swim because it makes me feel light, it makes me feel held, it reminds me that the beauty andRead more