Child abusers exist across races and gender. Understanding what is behind sexual abuse can help us more effectively prevent sexual violence. As well as just give victims power and understand what their abuser was doing.
childhood sexual abuse
Informational Article: Children’s Normal Sexual & Relational Development
By sexual development, I'm discussing the development of children's relationship to sex, sexual behaviors, relationship to their body, and relationships with others. This will help you to understand what is normal for children to do when it comes to sex and how parents can best guide them.
Informational Article: Implicit Memories and Memory Systems
Implicit memories are memories that we carry unconsciously and cannot be actively recalled as stories or facts. They are the groundwork our lives are built on and influences our relationships, responses to stress, behavior, arousal, and skills.
Symptom Explainer: Dissociation
Defining Dissociation General Dissociation: Dissociation refers to the natural mechanism our brain has to disconnect us from our surroundings and ourselves. This is sometimes as a benign reaction but severe dissociation is associated with trauma and other mental illnesses. Every Person has the capacity for dissociation and many experiences some degree of the skill like … Continue reading Symptom Explainer: Dissociation
The False Memory Myth & Memory Repression
A common question we've got is people asking if their memories are "real" if they "made it up" and similar concerns. This is distressing to us because it comes from a place of not only misinformation but the effects of a deep culture of victim-blaming, the denial of sexual abuse and dates back to truly … Continue reading The False Memory Myth & Memory Repression
Informational & Opinion Article: The Cycle of Abuse
The cycle of abuse needs to be understood as it really is, not as a fate for all victims, an excuse for perpetrators or catch-all explanations of the culture of abuse we live in.
Informational Article: Why Survivors Miss Abuse
Survivors of abuse and IPV may miss it after it ends or crave acts of sexual violence. Those of us who may miss aspects of our abuse often feel like we wanted the abuse, deserved it or will only ever be abused. But we never deserved to be abused, we never wanted it, there are … Continue reading Informational Article: Why Survivors Miss Abuse
Advice Post: How To Start Talking About Our Abuse Stories
Talking About Our Abuse Stories Putting Words to The Abuse: Drawing can be a good first step to allowing thoughts to be externalized. Music and dancing even can be a way to communicate the way the body and subconscious carry trauma in a way that words don’t always understand. Journaling is often a good way … Continue reading Advice Post: How To Start Talking About Our Abuse Stories
Diagnosis Primer: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD) is a relatively common disorder in those who have experienced trauma. It includes much of the cultural assumptions of what trauma causes like flashbacks and reactions to reminders of the trauma. The depictions are often done with some real misinformation so hopefully, this will help flesh out how PTSD is understood … Continue reading Diagnosis Primer: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Advice: Telling people about the Abuse
Getting Started: Fear of how people will react to sharing stories of abuse is really common. Sharing our histories and reaching out for help is extremely hard, that’s normal. But it is healing and important to tell people what happened to move forward and find the support you need. A good place start is making … Continue reading Advice: Telling people about the Abuse
Survivors Healing Survivors 