Equipping you to move forward from the effects of being an adult abused as a child
Being an adult that was abused as a child can have effects that can last for a lifetime. Child abuse is either psychological and physical abuse. Abuse also includes neglect as a child. A child witnessing domestic abuse is also defined as child abuse. Often, the child is inflicted with both types of abuse.
Any type of abuse during childhood can cause ongoing problems into adulthood if not dealt with and resolved. The UK government's own statistics prove this point. They found that more than half (51%) of adults who were abused as children went on to experience domestic abuse in later life. A higher proportion of adults who experienced child abuse went on to experience domestic abuse in adulthood, compared with those who suffered no childhood abuse. See this link for some more details on this survey.
Scarily, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for the year ending March 2016, showed that around one in five adults aged 16 to 59 (an estimated 6.2 million people) had experienced some form of abuse as a child.
Sometimes, we don't always realise what the effects of abuse in our childhood have had on us as an adult. It can shape you for better or for worse, it can weaken you or strengthen your resolve.
You will see other terms for the abuse you received as a child. It is also known as non-recent child abuse or historical abuse. Child abuse can also trigger PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) and we have a page specific for that, which you can visit here.
However you feel, the abuse that happened to you was wrong. It was a violation. It should never have happened. You may have started to deal with how its made you feel and behave and are looking for some extra support or you may be wanting to start healing. Wherever you are on your journey, there are people who want to give you support and help you heal from the abuse you received as a child.
adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child. adult abused as a child.
Websites Offering Support:
NAPAC
NAPAC – National Association for People Abused in Childhood – is the UK’s leading national charity offering support to adult survivors of all types of childhood abuse, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect.
HAVOCA
Havoca (Help for Adult Victims Of Child Abuse) is run by survivors for adult survivors of child abuse. They provide support, friendship and advice for any adult who’s life has been affected by childhood abuse.
HAVOCA was established in 2001 to provide support and direction to any adult who has experienced child abuse. This experience may be first hand, or as a loved one of a survivor, or as a support worker for the victims of child abuse. The HAVOCA resource provides a wealth of information online and at the same time allows people to connect through The HAVOCA Survivor Forums. In doing so, HAVOCA provides direction and friendship to survivors worldwide.
Together, as a survivors’ community, HAVOCA provides the medium to break the silence and help individuals recover from their trauma.
Aurora
Aurora exists to relieve the suffering and distress of people abused in childhood. They do this by providing one-to-one counselling/psychotherapy; and also workshops and social activities.
If you have suffered childhood abuse and need help you can call them using the telephone number shown above. You can also send them a confidential message by clicking the “Contact Us” link on their website, linked below.
Books on this subject:
The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma
Research has shown than anywhere from 30-90% of people confronted by tragedy, horror and adversity emerge as wiser, more mature and more fulfilled people. This can happen even despite great sadness. Relationships become stronger. Perspectives on life change. Inner strengths are found.
What causes people to continually relive what they most want to forget? and what treatments could help restore them to a life with purpose and joy? Here, Dr Bessel van der Kolk offers a new paradigm for effectively treating traumatic stress.
Neither talking nor drug therapies have proven entirely satisfactory. However, using stories of his own work and those of specialists around the globe, this book sheds new light on the routes away from trauma. These lie in the regulation and syncing of body and mind.
Scared Selfless: My Journey from Abuse and Madness to Surviving and Thriving
Michelle Stevens has a photo of the exact moment her childhood was stolen from her. She’s only eight years old, posing for her mother’s boyfriend. He was an elementary school teacher, neighborhood stalwart, and brutal pedophile. Later that night, he locks her in a cage. He then tortures her repeatedly, and uses her to quench his voracious and deviant sexual whims. Little does she know that this will become her new reality for the next six years.
Michelle can also pinpoint the moment she reconstituted the splintered pieces of her life. She’s in cap and gown, receiving her PhD in psychology—and the university’s award for best dissertation.
The distance between these two points is the improbable journey from torture, loss, and mental illness to healing, recovery, and triumph that is Michelle’s powerful memoir, Scared Selfless.
Michelle suffered from post‐traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, and made multiple suicide attempts. She also developed multiple personalities. There was “Chelsey,” the rebellious teenager; “Viscous,” a tween with homicidal rage; and “Sarah,” a sweet little girl who brought her teddy bear on a first date.
Michelle was inspired to help others heal by becoming a psychotherapist. She sheds light on the all-too-real threat of child sexual abuse, its subsequent psychological effects, and the best methods for victims to overcome their ordeals and, ultimately, thrive. Scared Selfless is both an examination of the extraordinary feats of the mind that are possible in the face of horrific trauma as well as Michelle’s courageous testament to their power.
Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse
Within every community, toxic people can be found hiding in families, couples, companies, and places of worship. The cryptic nature of psychological abuse involves repetitious mind games played by one individual or a group of people. Psychological abuse leaves no bruises. There are no broken bones. There are no holes in the walls. The bruises, brokenness, and holes are held tightly within the target of the abuse. Healing from Hidden Abuse walks the reader through each of the six recovery stages researched and developed by the author. The stages are: Despair, Education, Awakening, Boundaries, Restoration and Maintenance. A guided Personal Reflections journal is included in the back of the book to help the reader go deeper in their application of the six stages of recovery. The journal can be used individually or in a small group setting.
Videos on this subject:
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.