The impact of the trauma of sexual abuse is far reaching. First and foremost, whether it is perpetrated by a relative or a friend, it is an assault to the psyche that is at the basis for a complete shattering of the basic issue of trust. As one might expect, the impact is more significant  the closer one gets to kinship, and more so still if the parents are the perpetrators. Trust is a fundamental developmental milestone, the betrayal of which has effects that are devastatingly pervasive, long lasting, and insidious.

For many, the experience of having been sexually abused is ignored, or efforts are made to push it out of consciousness; the commonly used defense of denial assumes control. Unfortunately, the experience may be forgotten but the manifestations and consequences cannot be denied or ignored. People may be plagues and/ or haunted by memories, flashbacks and/or very conflictual relationships until they decide to seek treatment and come face to face with their demons. 

Entering therapy for those who have  had the most basic of trust issues betrayed is a challenge indeed. It  runs counter to all that is true, given their experiences. If the parent has been the perpetrator, the victim necessarily comes form a situation in which they have never in their lives been able to fully trust the world without betrayal.

A trusting relationship is something of an oxymoron for people such as this, and the idea if entering therapy and having the type of relationship that requires a significant degree of trust seems impossible to them. Thus it is quite a dilemma for victims to enter such a relationship and ultimately the only one which will help them reestablish a sense of trust in the world.

Those who have successfully completed a therapy regimen, typically long term, feel that they have moved from the status of victim to survivor, distinctions that are quite different. Coming to terms with one’s past allows for better relationships in the present.

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