Many people experience some form of sexual assault over the course of their lives. This includes rape, groping, involuntary exposure to pornography, sexual harrassment and childhood sexual abuse. The situation may involve coercion, manipulation or force, and the victim is left damaged in both the short and long term by the sexual assault. It is especially prevalent in the case of childhood sexual abuse, which causes early developmental trauma and a loss of autonomy for victims. Children can lose their sense of trust, comfort and control over their bodies, their loved ones and their lives in the long term.
Childhood Sexual Abuse
The trauma of childhood sexual abuse can effectively destroy a person’s future and determine the way their lives unfold if its damaging effects are left unresolved without proper treatment and care. It is important to give those who has experienced childhood sexual abuse the time and attention they need to heal. Hypnotherapy can help victims of childhood sexual abuse regain a sense of safety and security over their lives. It can reshape their relationship with themselves and their bodies, their view towards sex, closeness and intimacy. More importantly, it can resolve the more immediate problems caused by the trauma of childhood sexual abuse from its physical, emotional to psychological symptoms.
Hypnotherapy allows you to address the complex emotional issues of loss, trust, love and guilt brought by the sexual abuse and guide you towards rapid yet sustainable healing. If you would like to overcome the traumatic symptoms of childhood sexual abuse, hypnotherapy can help you eliminate the unhealthy patterns, trauma response and behaviours that worsen your mental and physical health. Call now to book a session with an experienced hypnotherapist.
Childhood Sexual Abuse Hypnotherapy For Children
It’s important not to ignore the harmful effects of childhood sexual abuse experienced by victims. Their trauma needs to be fully acknowledged and never invalidated. Otherwise, traumatic childhood experiences will follow them into their adult life and result in unhealthy coping mechanisms and destructive behaviours. Sexual assault is by nature a violent crime that can affect some victims throughout their entire lives. From spontaneous recall of the sexual abuse, to other pervasive traumatic symptoms, decreased physical and mental health, guilt and poor self-esteem, it can have far-reaching consequences on a person. But while assault produces trauma, people can recover from it successfully with the right kind of therapeutic intervention. Hypnotherapy is a powerful intervention that allows victims to achieve remarkable physical and emotional recovery. It allows them to regain a sense of relief and self-understanding that is vital to their long-term healing.
Behaviours And Symptoms Of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Children and teens can experience a variety of symptoms and display worrisome behaviours as a result of childhood sexual abuse. From anxiety, irritability and sadness to physical evidence and psychological responses, sexual abuse can present any of the following signs or symptoms:
- Bed wetting, thumb sucking or other behaviours linked to developmental regression and self-soothing due to trauma
- Mouth sores, infection and irritation to genitals, painful urination, bruising or pain in pelvic or genital area
- Atypical sexual behaviour or knowledge — increased early sexual activity
- Substance abuse in pre-teens and teenagers — alcohol and drug use
- Moodiness and emotional outbursts — crying or acting out
- Increased aggression and anger — responding in hostility or violence
- Memory and concentration problems — poor recall, attention and focus
- Aversion to touch
- Academic problems and lack of motivation
- Feelings of depression, guilt and shame — self-blame for the event is evident in older pre-teens and teenagers as well as adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse
- Codependency and separation anxiety from trusted adults
- Changes in appetite — inconsistent eating behaviours, eating in higher or lower amounts, much less or much more frequently than usual
- Eating disorders and other self-harm behaviours
- Changes in sleep patterns — difficulty sleeping and increased nightmares
- Changes in energy — fatigue and exhaustion or restlessness and anxiety
- Social withdrawal and isolation — becoming anxious and fearful of others
- Intensified or delayed stress reactions — unexpected responses to stimuli, hypersensitivity to loud noises and movements
How Hypnosis Can Help Survivors of Childhood Abuse
In adults, unresolved childhood trauma can result in signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, experiencing sexual abuse as a child or a teen can often distort self-perception, invoke feelings of shame, guilt, self-blame, humiliation as well as cause chronic physical pain. Adult symptoms of childhood sexual abuse can vary in nature and severity. The PTSD childhood sexual abuse causes is complex, often lasting and unpredictable in quality. In fact, childhood sexual abuse symptoms in male adults and female adults may differ to the point of creating discrepancies and a tendency of misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed PTSD. The role of hypnotherapy is especially useful in helping people who were sexually abused to overcome symptoms of their PTSD. It lets survivors restructure their feelings, thoughts and behaviours to restore their sense of control and resolves painful emotional feelings such as self-blame. Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool to help you focus on creating positive change in your thinking, feeling and behavioural responses for the future. As such, it can help victims of childhood sexual abuse redefine their experiences and independently shape their lives beyond their trauma.
Make An Appointment With An Experienced Hypnotherapist Today
If you’d like to regain your sense of control, safety and security and overcome childhood sexual trauma, hypnotherapy can help you reach a full recovery. Make an appointment with an experienced hypnotherapist at Core Hypnosis today. Book your session by calling or enquiring online.
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