The Crippling Shame of Incest / Sexual Abuse
The Crippling Shame of Incest / Sexual Abuse
“Incest (which I am defining here as it is defined by Survivors of Incest Anonymous, as sexual abuse by a family member, extended family member, or other person known to us whom we were led to trust) adds devastating betrayal issues and more crippling shame to the wounding.” “When trusted people violated our bodies they betrayed us heinously. They did further mutilate our relationships with our hearts and souls, with our bodies and sexuality - because we thought it was our fault. We thought it was our fault because we were kids relating to older people who were higher powers to us - and because too often the perpetrators told us it was our fault and threatened us if we told. A child who is abused by one parent and doesn’t tell the other parent, or by a grandparent or uncle or family friend and doesn’t tell parents - is a child who already knows that he/she will not be believed, a child who has already gotten the message that her/his needs and emotions are not important to the parent (s.) Any child who felt loved and protected by his/her parents would immediately tell them if someone was hurting her/him. The incredible pain and shame generated by sexual abuse often causes a person to identify their body, and their sexuality, as the enemy. Incest and sexual abuse cause self hatred.” “Obesity is one of the effects of sexual abuse for some people. Food is not only a way of nurturing self and numbing the pain, but the extra weight is like armor put on for protection against the betrayal of our bodies and sexuality.”
This is an articles by Spiritual Teacher, codependency therapist on the crippling shame of incest and sexual abuse.
Codependence: The Dance of Wounded Souls by Robert Burney is copyright 1995. Material on Joy2MeU web site (except where otherwise noted) is copyright 1996 thru 2015 by Robert Burney PO Box 98 Fallbrook CA 92088.
Originally published at https://joy2meu.com/sexual_abuse.htm