Overcoming the Physical Pain Associated with Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse

After having a conversation recently with several survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I was reminded, once again, about how much physical pain there is in this recovery process. Because it has been several years since I have had to deal with the body pain, the flashbacks, and the body memories, I had almost forgotten about this painful process. I hope the above comment alone will serve as an incentive for survivors to continue moving forward in their own healing process. It really does get better . . . much better!

The Process of Dealing With Repressed Memories

Over the years, I have worked alongside many survivors of sexual abuse and I also have my own experience from which to draw. Almost without fail, anyone who has repressed memories will develop pain in their body prior to beginning the recovery process. Most of us are diagnosed with such things as Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and we are put through a myriad of tests only to find nothing significant as the root cause for our pain. It is always a good idea to have a physical examination in order to rule out any causes for the pain, but once that is done, it is time to look at how repressing memories (holding them inside our bodies and minds) impacts our physical bodies.

My Personal Experience