Child Abuse Survivors
If you are a survivor of child abuse, it’s not your fault. No one ever deserves to be sexually assaulted or abused. Neither your age at the time of the abuse or the length of time that has passed since the abuse changes that.
Survivors of child abuse may face many challenges as they engage in the healing process. The tasks of daily life may sometimes be a trigger. You may experience problems with common activities and relationships that other adults who were not abused don’t face.
As a child abuse survivor, you may not remember the abuse until years or decades after it happened. You may experience many different feelings, such as self-blame, shame, anger, fear, guilt, or grief. You may find you’re unable to concentrate or focus because you “can’t stop” thinking about what happened. You may struggle with intimacy and sexual interactions, even consensual ones. You may also experience flashbacks that make you feel nervous, angry, or afraid. All of these reactions and feelings are completely normal.
If you’re an adult who experienced sexual abuse as a child, know that you are not alone. Every nine minutes, a child is sexually assaulted in the U.S., and 93 percent know the perpetrator. Many perpetrators of sexual abuse are in a position of trust or responsible for the child’s care, such as a family member, teacher, clergy member, or coach.
No matter what, the abuse was not your fault. It’s never too late to start healing from this experience. Lumina Alliance offers confidential services to survivors of child abuse at no cost to you. Please call our 24 hour crisis and information line at 805-545-8888 to learn more and be connected with an advocate.