Disconnection from self


Sometimes it can be difficult for people who have experienced childhood sexual abuse to truly care for themselves.


To survive the horrors and trauma of the abuse many children and young people may have needed to disconnect from their painful emotions at a young age and focus on being ‘good’, compliant, vigilant, or invisible. Some individuals report an extreme sense of disconnection (referred to as ‘dissociation’), when blanking or ‘spacing out’ occurs to the extent they no longer feel present. This is understood as a natural response (or ‘defence mechanism’) that protects from trauma at the time. In adulthood, this dissociation can cause difficulty in coping as a result of denial of feelings and needs, or a feeling one’s ‘sense of self’ has been shattered.


“You lose your feelings, and for a while you lose your thoughts.” Taru, aged 43


“[Even now] a lot of the time I feel numb and blank… a lot of the time I feel nothing.”


Samsara, age 30


11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28