Parents Whose children have been sexually abused Community Group
This group is for parents whose children have been sexually abused. We welcome both Mothers and Fathers. Here, we can offer support to one another. We can vent, cry and lift each other up. No condemning or criticizing allowed. We are here for support. We LOVE (((HUGS))) !
So today with my new therapist, who by the way is awesome, right before our session was over I asked her a question about something that was bugging me. In the past couple months I feel like I've been seeing Monster Family's car everywhere we go. I've attempted to figure out what I feel when I see the car and I haven't been able to specifically tap into sadness pain fear anger I just simply see the cars. I asked my therapist if this would fit with my diagnosis of generalized anxiety or if this leans more towards a PTSD diagnosis. She explained to me that if there is a specific trigger related to the abuse even if there is no physiological or emotional response it can still be considered PTSD. So the fact that everywhere we go I see cars that look like their car is technically me having a PTSD episode. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I too have PTSD but it's really weird being diagnosed with this... I'm not sure why because it makes sense... But now you know in case you were wondering about your own issues!
Apparently it's a fight or flight reaction...ANGER is causing me to want to confront the car each time I see it. I noticed that I made a facial grimace and frown, then I dissected my physical reactions to seeing the car. Now I know that this PTSD symptom is a part of my mama-bear protection mode!
I find myself engaged in a similar frequent curiosity pattern regarding my neighbors and their son's mental health. I think it is simply a survival mechanism. We need to know what they're "up to" so we can plan accordingly. And, we need to try to understand them as much as possible so we can anticipate their future actions. I suspect those motivations would still be at play, even if we knew we'd never have to see them again. But because we're stuck with them in our lives, at least in the short term, our subconscious need to be vigilant can feel uncomfortably like an obsession -- at least for me.