What Help Is Acceptable After Child Sexual Abuse

I have seen responses on forums to child sexual abuse victims. There are times when it is completely disturbing. Not only the victims post, but the advice, “sympathy and compassion” from the well meaning posters.

Wanting sympathy is what every human desires, however the feelings and emotions you are going through can be detrimental if they are not addressed.

There are times when a sexually abused person needs help. Forum users are generally not in a position to help.

To try to get advice from them is far from healthy or helpful to your mental state or well being.

Should You Use Psychotherapy or Psychiatry?

Some psychotherapists or psychiatrists, can cause more harm than good. However there are times when they are necessary. If you are feeling despondent then you should visit one now, just find one.

Later on there will be time for you to find one that will listen and work with you. One that will not tell you what ever you want to hear. A good therapist, will not do this.

A childhood sex abuse victim has deep seated problems as you are well experiencing. To not address them in a proper manner can be detrimental, especially down the track.

Some want your frequent returns, which means money in their pocket. They don’t want to risk upsetting you, as you may never return, hence tell you what you want to hear.

You need to choose one that has your best interests in mind. If they agree with every thing you say, start questioning their integrity.

Leading Questions Are Detrimental To You

The mind is a scary and tricky place. Look out for anyone who questions your abuse with leading or direct questions before you give them the full facts, eg:

Did your father sexually abuse you
Was “this” done to you, or “that” done to you.

If you can’t remember certain details and they fill in the blanks be extremely wary. This sort of questioning is leading. Being that the mind is able to deceive even yourself, you can end up worse off if you deal with a poor quality therapist. This is one that asks leading questions or makes presumptuous assumptions.

This type of direct questioning was done a couple of decades ago by therapists and police with serious repercussions. Things have changed since then, however there are still therapists who use this type of questioning.

Our minds will make things up for us, if suggestions are planted. False memories are a serious thing and can cause many other problems for you and the person concerned. You have enough problems you need to get through without a psychotherapist or psychiatrist filling in the blanks for you.

Choose a therapist wisely and be prepared to change to another if they are not fitting the bill. It is much healthier for you to do this than get advice from forums.