Today, I am pleased to bring you this final post by David of Together We Heal. It has been a true honor to have had him on. I know I've learned so much and hope you have too!
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Over
the last few weeks we have talked about childhood sexual abuse as it relates to
addiction, depression, anxiety, abandonment, PTSD, the impact it may have on
our DNA...Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!!! I only make a joke not to make
light of our situation as survivors, but rather to bring a little levity to a
situation that for some of feels like the sky is falling and we are being
attacked on multiple fronts by creatures that can devour us. So with all of
these potential pitfalls and problems seeming to lurk around every corner, what
do we do?
Having
done my usual research and even stepping into waters just being tested, I have
come across both the usual suspects of therapy and a couple not so well-known.
It is my hope that no matter whether one of these specific therapies helps you
or a loved one or not, you find one that does, because what I do know is that
healing from abuse is not something that happens naturally. It takes help, it
takes time and it takes work. So please do whatever you need to reach out and
find the help that is available.
Under
the category of "usual but relatively proven" therapies we find
Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Group Therapy, and Self-Help Groups.
Psychotherapy
consists of a series of techniques for treating mental health, emotional and
some psychiatric disorders. Psychotherapy helps the patient understand what
helps them feel positive or anxious, as well as accepting their strong and weak
points. If people can identify their feelings and ways of thinking they become
better at coping with difficult situations.
Psychotherapy
is commonly used for psychological problems that have had a number of years to
accumulate. It only works if a trusting relationship can be built up between
the client and the psychotherapist. Treatment can continue for several months,
and even years.
Some
people refer to psychotherapy as "talking treatment" because it is
generally based on talking to the therapist or group of people with similar
problems. Some forms of psychotherapy also use other forms of communication,
including writing, artwork, drama, narrative story or music. Sessions take
place within a structured encounter between a qualified therapist and a client
or clients. Purposeful, theoretically based psychotherapy started in the 19th
century with psychoanalysis; it has developed significantly since then.
Cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps
patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors. CBT is
commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addiction,
depression and anxiety.
Cognitive
behavioral therapy is generally short-term and focused on helping clients deal
with a very specific problem. During the course of treatment, people learn how
to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a
negative influence on behavior.
The
underlying concept behind CBT is that our thoughts and feelings play a
fundamental role in our behavior. For example, a person who spends a lot of
time thinking about plane crashes, runway accidents and other air disasters may
find themselves avoiding air travel. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy
is to teach patients that while they cannot control every aspect of the world
around them, they can take control of how they interpret and deal with things
in their environment. Because CBT is usually a short-term treatment
option, it is often more affordable than some other types of therapy. CBT is
also empirically supported and has been shown to effectively help patients
overcome a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors.
(Note from Rachel: As
as little aside, the Beyond Surviving program I developed for adult survivors
of abuse draws upon many of the techniques used in CBT.)
Delivered
in a group of people, Group Therapy and Self-Help Groups are for people who
have experienced abuse and can be an extremely cathartic experience.
Individuals who feel different, ashamed, or guilty as a result of the abuse
will benefit immensely from discovering other people who have lived through
similar experiences. Although not limited to groups like SNAP and The
Lamplighters, they are certainly organizations that have proven themselves to
be helpful for survivors of CSA.
(Note
from Rachel: I lead an Adult Survivors of Child Abuse support group every month
in San Francisco. Learn more!)
Next
we have some relatively newer therapies, with regard to years of experience in
the realm of psychology. TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) is
one. TRE is a simple technique that uses exercises to release stress or
tension from the body that accumulates from every day circumstances of life,
from difficult situations, immediate or prolonged stressful situations, or
traumatic life experiences.
TRE
is a set of six exercises that help to release deep tension from the body by
evoking a self-controlled muscular shaking process in the body called
neurogenic muscle tremors. The uniqueness of this technique is that this
shaking originates deep in the core of the body of the psoas muscles. These
gentle tremors reverberate outwards along the spine releasing tension from the
sacrum to the cranium.
Another
is by a former associate professor at the University of Kentucky's educational
and counseling psychology department, Kate Chard and it centers on Cognitive
Processing. "It was the first NIMH-funded treatment outcome study on
childhood sexual abuse," she says. This three-year study of women (Chard
has done an equivalent study with men) took adult survivors of childhood sexual
abuse through a 17-week, manual-based program, with individual or a combination
of individual and group sessions.
"What
you think affects what you feel, which, in turn, affects what you do," Chard
says, summing up the basic theory behind cognitive therapy. "We build on
this by saying that due to the traumatic event, the ability to process
cognitively has become impaired. Biologists can look at the neurotransmitter
connections in the brain and actually see differences between people who've
been through traumatic events, such as childhood abuse, and people who have
not."
Another
option is coaching. While still fairly new, coaching is a great option for
survivors of abuse who are reading to move into the final stage of recovery. If
you would like to learn more about coaching, you can of course give Rachel a
call or email her. She’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about
how coaching works.
While
these are by no means all of the potential therapies out there, the point I am
hoping comes through today is that no matter which type of therapy you seek as
a survivor of abuse, the point is that you indeed seek one, and don't stop
until you find the one that works for you. As I mentioned earlier, it is of the
utmost importance that you find professional help. Just as a police officer or
military person is required to see a therapist when they go through an
extraordinary time of trauma, so we as survivors of childhood sexual abuse must
get assistance. What we have been through is beyond an extraordinary event,
it's beyond the pale. And seeking help does not mean we are weak, it shows no
signs of lacking anything. To the contrary, it means you care enough about
yourself and the ones that love you that you will take the necessary steps to
ensure your continued growth as a person. Let me say this again, you aren't
weak, you are human, it's ok for others to help you.
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References:
- British
Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Mapping
Psychotherapy.
- David
Berceli, Ph.D.
- Christian
Nordqvist
- CDC
- NIMH
- Kate
Chard
- University
of Kentucky
Learn more about Together We Heal.
David spent years on a healing journey that continues to this very day. This led him to seek out groups specifically for men as well as those who had been through a similar trauma and ultimately inspired the foundation of Together We Heal, an organization focused on providing counseling and guidance for those who have suffered the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.
As the Executive Director of TWH, David works to educate the public through speaking and collaborating with other groups to raise awareness and expose the sexual predator's methods. TWH now works with therapists, counselors and groups aiding both men and women in their efforts to heal, grow and thrive. He is also the South Florida Area Support Group Leader for SNAP, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
TWH follows the saying, "one person might not be able to change the world, but you can change the world of one person."
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