Are you a survivor of child sexual abuse? Child sexual abuse is common, and survivors can carry with them the impacts that are inherent to this type of trauma: triggers, anxiety, trust issues, substance abuse, sleep challenges, and other day-to-day challenges that are disruptive and persistent.
Saprea has a message to survivors of child sexual abuse: You are not alone. We have programs and services to provide education, support, and strategies to help you begin the process of healing.
Online Resources for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Our library of research-based online resources helps you address symptoms that may be associated with child sexual abuse trauma. We also help you understand the why’s behind the effects trauma may have had on your life, with information about trauma and its impact on the brain and body, as well as the long-lasting impacts of shame and its underlying connection to other symptoms you may experience.
Once you understand some of the why’s behind the symptoms and experiences you have been coping with, we think you’ll be better prepared to interact with our collection of healing resources. Using the three healing practices of Acknowledgement, Mindfulness, and Aspiration as springboards, we have practical, applicable tools and activities that you can integrate into your already busy life. Healing is possible, one day at a time.
Common Symptoms Experienced by Child Sexual Abuse Survivors
The Connection Between Trauma Symptoms and Child Sexual Abuse
If you are a survivor of child sexual abuse trauma, you may know all too well what it’s like to experience some of these common symptoms:
Healing from the Trauma of Child Sexual Abuse
As a survivor of child sexual abuse, you may have a range of painful emotions. Survivors have shared everything from wondering why they can’t just “get over” what happened many years ago, to feeling like until they find some relief, there is no clear path forward. At Saprea, we understand why survivors experience these fears and frustrations; what you experienced as a child was likely confusing, frightening, and may have even been done to you by someone you trusted or loved. Such feelings are natural, valid, and among the very real effects of your trauma.
Trauma researchers are learning more about the effects that trauma has on the brain and body, and it’s clear that these effects can be wide-ranging and disruptive to daily routines years or even decades after the abuse has stopped. And while the research is sobering, there’s good news, too: Because of the brain’s ability to adapt (referred to as neuroplasticity), trauma survivors can increase their awareness of how the abuse has impacted their brain and body. Through this awareness and through practicing specific tools and strategies, survivors of child sexual abuse can decrease post-traumatic symptoms and increase feelings of well-being.