Services are Available for Victims / Survivors : Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Nightmares (intense/violent)
Flashbacks
Sleep disturbances
Fear that everyone is a potential attacker
Fear of certain people/people with certain traits (physical traits or character traits)
Anxiety/panic attacks
Shame
Anger
Guilt
Fear of expressing anger
Need to be in control
Need to be out of control (immersed in chaos)
Feeling powerless – no power in most situations
Fear of intimacy (relationships/friendships)
Loneliness – “I never felt I belonged anywhere”
Sadness – “I never really had a childhood”
Feeling people have ulterior motives – “What do they want from me?”
Not being able to think straight
Feeling of unreality or detachment “I’m always on the outside looking in.”
Lack of concentration
Intruding thoughts
Compulsive eating/not eating/bingeing/purging, etc.
Self-abuse (cutting, biting, burning, hitting self)
Suicidal thoughts
Suicide attempts
Sexual activity at an early age/sexual promiscuity
Avoiding sex/fear of sex
Low self-esteem/image of self as a failure
Inability to receive comfort or nurturing
Isolation/agoraphobia
Feeling that “If they know me, they’ll reject me/see how bad I am.”
Frozen emotions/disconnection from feelings.
Inability to say “No” – boundary issues
Confusion about sexuality/sexual orientation
Inability to relax
Feeling stuck
Forgetting parts of your childhood
Linking abuse with love (domestic violence relationships)
Difficulty expressing vulnerability
Escaping into addictions
Lack of trust in people
Disassociation (splitting off from self in stressful situations)
Parenting problems
Fear of men
Fear of women
Fear of authority
Fear of speaking out
Excessive bathing
Poor hygiene
Self-punishment/self-denial/self-sacrifice
Fear of medical procedures/doctors/dentists

Although you may not consider the above to be “Normal behaviours”, consider that they are “Normal reactions to a traumatic situation.”

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