![]() ![]() Forgiveness helps us find the strength to remove the influence of the person or people who hurt us. The act of forgiving puts us back in control. Whether confrontation is part of the process or not, seeking to forgive can be a healthy choice on the healing journey. If you believe that such a step would be best for you and have sought advice that agrees, we encourage you to follow through with your instincts. This does not necessarily require face-to-face confrontation. The key to taking your power back and putting these lies behind you is by placing the responsibility of the abuse solely with the abuser. Experiencing abuse can make thoughts like I’m damaged, I’ll never find someone to love me or I will never be whole, become entrenched. ![]() Going through abuse can cause us to live according to the abuser’s “truths.” These are the lies about who we are, what we deserve and where our worth comes from. Simpson said, “For anybody that’s experienced sexual abuse, I think it’s important to confront the abuser if you can because the beauty is in forgiveness and that’s one helpful way that may make it possible for you to let it go. ![]() Simpson found much of her healing by confronting her perpetrator, which helped her forgive and let go. We encourage you not to isolate in response but rather to seek outside help, such as from a pastor, therapist or abuse prevention hotline. We call this type of response Double Abuse. If you decide to air your abuse to someone you trust and find they are not compassionate, believing or supportive, please know that you are not alone. Unfortunately, speaking up about abuse does not always result in gaining support. These same loved ones do not have a chance to help if they are not aware of what is happening. Because of this, and the fact that abusers often gain the victim’s loved ones’ trust, the support system surrounding the victim is often oblivious to abuse. However, she remains grateful that they at least protected her from the perpetrator by physically removing her from the situation.Īs Jessica’s story highlights, perpetrators of sexual abuse are often in very close and trusted positions within a victim’s life. Simpson wishes that her parents had helped her by talking through her experiences. But once she told her parents about the family friend’s daughter abusing her, they stopped socializing with the family. Even though she was the victim, she still felt guilty about the sexual activity she experienced. Simpson expressed that, growing up as a preacher’s daughter, she knew that sex was a taboo topic, which made the thought of coming forward to her parents scarier. One of which is that there may be social constructs in your family or social circle that make the idea of talking about abuse especially daunting. Going through abuse can be isolating for multiple reasons. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |