Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse | Incest
Emotional neglect in childhood has far reaching effects in your life. In fact, most relationship troubles are rooted in the ways you coped with not getting your needs met and the way you learned to attach to people or detach from people. You’ll learn your particular attachment style, not only to transform your relationships, but to heal from the wounds of neglect.
With childhood sexual abuse, your needs for protection and nurturing weren’t met. And chances are, the neglect didn’t end in childhood because the way you were treated becomes the way you treat yourself. I’ll share the 7 hidden ways you’re likely perpetuating the cycle of neglect and how to reverse the effects of neglect and abuse.
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.
It can be excruciating to really see the level of betrayal you’ve experienced with childhood sexual abuse. The betrayal wound creates a chasm in all your relationships until you face and heal it. I share my family’s betrayal and how I navigated that as well as how you can heal the wounds in your own life.
In the last episode, I shared the truths behind those internal and external pressures that keep us locked up with the secrets. I ended with my parents hearing about me speaking out and the certified letter from my mother demanding that I stop. We’ll continue with how I processed her threats, the subsequent lawsuit and how you can better protect yourself from the social and legal consequences of exposing your abuser.
There are internal and external pressures to protect your abuser and keep the secret of sexual abuse and they sometimes come with very real social and legal consequences. I uncover the often hidden attitudes and beliefs that position us as protectors of the secrets and lies as I share my process of speaking out. Then I share how to process those things so you’re free to decide if speaking out is best for you.
Neglect and abuse make it a matter of survival to not only silence your speaking voice but your internal voice. I share the specific reasons it was survival to shut down your voice, the hidden effects of that now, and how to work through the fear of using your voice so you can regain your power.
Healing from abuse requires extra time and energy. While we can’t stop regular life to make room for healing, we can make adjustments to create the space that we deserve. I’ll share the 3 most important ways you can care for yourself as you heal so you’re empowered to move forward.