Sexual Abuse

 

Sexual abuse is when a person is forced to engage in sexual interactions without their consent. Sexual abuse occurs in all races, genders, and class backgrounds. It can occur during childhood, adolescence, and/or adulthood. Many people who have experienced sexual abuse have the same reactions as survivors of trauma. Remember that a traumatic event is life-threatening, perceived as life-threatening or challenging the perception of reality. This is true of sexual abuse.

Many people feel physically or emotionally threatened when they are being sexually abused. In addition to symptoms that result from experiencing trauma, many survivors of sexual abuse also experience some of the following symptoms:

· flashbacks (feeling like you are re-experiencing the event)

· dissociation ("spacing out", losing moments of time)

· avoiding sexual contact

· significant increase in sexual contact (hypersexual behavior)