Understanding and Managing The Impact Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Adult Intimate Life
Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
Child sexual abuse includes any sexual act performed on a child by an older person for their own sexual gratification above the well-being of the child. It also includes exposing the child to sexually inappropriate material or behaviour, exploiting the child, again, with the goal of sexual self-gratification. Childhood sexual abuse is known to cause problems of intimacy for some persons when seeking to participate in intimate adult relationships. As a result of sexually abusive experiences some adults may be sexually indiscriminant whereas others may seek to avoid sexual intimacy and otherwise find sexual expression difficult. It is not uncommon for adults who were sexually abused as children to have developed a discomfort or even repulsion to sexual intimacy.
Sexual Abuse Counselling has a Beginning, Middle and an End… and it can help!
Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
If you were sexually abused, it is important to know that good counselling can help you overcome problems arising from the abuse. Knowing what to expect in counselling can make it easier for you to attend. Counselling can be thought of in three stages…
Becoming One: A Story of Triumph Over Multiple Personality Disorder
Sarah E. Olson In an excerpt from Becoming One: A Story of Triumph Over Multiple Personality Disorder, author Sarah E. Olson shares her insight into Multiple Personality Disorder—now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). A reaction to severe childhood trauma, multiple personality disorder is an adaptive way for an individual to be able to bear the unbearable and survive what otherwise would be unsurvivable.