I've written a fair bit about childhood sexual abuse. Children are young, small, and without resources. Grasping the innocence of those children is easily seen and understood. As adults, trauma survivors can more easily grasp the complex dynamics of being forced into abusive dynamics when still a small, young child. But for some folks, trauma and abuse doesn't stop in childhood. It may have started in childhood, … [Read more...]
SAFETY FIRST: Assessing Safety of Sexual Abuse Survivors
This SAFETY FIRST post is one of the very first posts ever written on Discussing Dissociation, and purposefully so, because of the importance of this topic. This post was reblogged by Trauma and Dissociation -- thank you. Having safety in your life is absolutely crucial and critical for healing for dissociative survivors, so it is good to bring this topic back up to the surface again. Be … [Read more...]
Land of the Free?
For folks in the USA, it’s the July 4th holiday weekend. Barbecues, picnics, swimming parties, and fireworks are happening all over the country. Red, white, and blue stars and stripes are visible in every direction. It’s a fun holiday – most people are in festive moods. The point of the Independence Day holiday is to celebrate freedom. It’s about being free, living in a land that is free, … [Read more...]
Externalizing Responsibility vs. Internalizing Responsibility
Externalizing Responsibility What an interesting phrase. Externalizing responsibility is when someone fails to accept personal responsibility for the messes they make or for the problems they cause. It is also failing to accept personal responsibility for the situations they find themselves in. Internalizing responsibility is personally taking on the responsibility for what happens (in the past, present, … [Read more...]
When You Know People who Want to Hurt You
Do you know people that truly want to hurt you? Do you know people that are willing to hurt you on purpose? Do you know people that would hurt you over and over, again and again? Did this happen to you when you were a child? Is this experience still happening for you as an adult? What a scary concept. What a horrifying way to grow up. It’s one thing to know that you have been … [Read more...]