Post originally published on Resplendent by Design by Bobbi Parish-Logie. Reposted with permission.
Twitter Chat for Survivors of Sexual Abuse is every Tuesday evening at 6 pm Pacific Time. Use the hashtag #sexabusechat to follow along and participate.
One in every five girls and one in every twenty boys is sexually abused. For both genders, this abuse most often occurs between the ages of seven and thirteen. The majority of the time children are abused by someone they know: a father, a brother, a neighbor or babysitter. It can be a one-time incident or it can be repetitive over the course of years.
The consequences of these assaults are physical, emotional and developmental damage. Sometimes it’s temporary. Sometimes it’s permanent. Sometimes it’s lethal. Research has shown that children traumatized by sexual assault are more likely to develop mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. They are more likely to suffer from addiction. Prolonged exposure to sexual assault can result in brain damage similar to what we see in those with a traumatic brain injury.
Children who are sexually assaulted lose time they should be focusing on learning and developing to the need to cope with the after effects of the assault. They isolate from their peers due to the shame they feel over the abuse. Their perceptions of healthy romantic relationships becomes contorted and damaged due to things their abuser may have shown or told them. This leads to their being at risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence as an adult.
The shame of being sexually abused does not abate as victims grow up. Many victims continue to isolate as adults. They are almost certain to keep the history of their assault a secret, even if they seek treatment for a mental illness or substance abuse. If they do share their story they are often told “That happened years ago. Why aren’t you over it?”
Because of these long term effects of childhood sexual abuse Rachel Thompson and I will be hosting a Twitter Chat for survivors and their family members starting Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 6 pm PST. It is our hope that this chat provides survivors a place to share, find support and gain a greater understanding of the effects of their assault in a safe and comfortable environment. There will be no judgment, no shaming, no “Why aren’t you over that already?” Instead, you will find understanding, friendship and comfort.
Rachel is a survivor herself. She has written the bestselling, award winning book Broken Pieces about her experience enduring and recovering from her childhood assault. As a Social Media Consultant she is widely recognized as an expert in the field of Social Media. The author of two other books, Mancode Exposed and A Walk in the Snark, she brings honesty and humor to every situation she encounters.
I am a Marriage and Family Therapist with a specialty of working with adults and child trauma survivors. As a survivor of years of sexual assault in my childhood I have a unique position of being both in trauma recovery myself and providing trauma recovery services to my clients. I like to call it being familiar with “both sides of the desk”. I am also an author. My first book, Create Your Personal Sacred Text, is about spirituality and writing your truth. I have two works in progress, a novel entitled Above the Undercurrent and a non-fiction book about how to choose a therapist, that are scheduled for publication this year.
Both of us understand what it’s like to endure and cope with childhood sexual assault. We want to help other survivors by providing a safe place to discuss their experience. Hopefully, in the process of doing that we can also help educate the loved ones of survivors who want to understand what it’s like to experience and recover from childhood sexual abuse.
Initially the chats will be a place of introduction and discussion. Eventually the chats may have a theme, such as learning about the permanent brain damage that survivors can develop, where we will bring in experts to help us understand the topic.
If you don’t know how to participate in a Twitter chat these pages will help:
Twitter Chat Made Easy is here
How to Participate in a Tweet Chat is here
It’s important to note that the Twitter chats are not therapeutic and are not intended to constitute or replace a therapeutic relationship you might need to have in real life. Nor are the chats meant to provide diagnosis and treatment for the effects of childhood sexual assault. If you need help locating a therapist here are several good resources:
Psychology Today has an excellent directory
Good Therapy also has a good directory
Please follow the @SexAbuseChat Twitter account for news about the chats. We will use the hastage #SexAbuseChat during our chats. If you have specific questions or concerns feel free to e-mail me at ResplendentbyDesign@Yahoo.com
If you’d like to connect with Bobbi you can find her on her blog, Twitter, or Amazon.