Definitely, you can join! As far as I can remember, there was only one time I was 'touched' in appropriately as a child. but it has affected me tremendously. And I completely repressed the memory until recently.

In what ways do you think it has affected you? I'm in a support group going through a workbook. The chapter we just finished is about how SA effects people. In later chapters we will be focusing on overcoming these effects in our lives.

till i was 8 i slept in my parents bed and then abit after that i slept on there floor...i sucked my thumb till i was 12 and had a night light till i was...wow i dont even know. I screamed and cryed when my parents tryed to get my to see a male doctor so i have always had female doctors..actually the first time i went to a male doctor was last month, i still cryed and needed my mom there. i dont trust people at all, which is sad because i feel that is why alot of my relationships with friends and boyfriends never worked out.

jackieisme:

You have joined and you are welcomed. I am glad you found this site, just keep coming back.

xx
SuzA

if you recall the event(s), that's a good first (albeit painful) step. that you took the time to look for help here is a great second step. that you recognize that the event(s) is still affecting you is an even better sign that you're on the right path.

I've only recently starting dealing with the effects of my experience 30+ years ago. reading other posts here has really helped confirm those effects as I share so many of the feelings others describe.

I've been reading Beverly Engel's "The Right to Innocence" and it's helped me start seeing the connections even moreso. in that book, she describes 5 stages of awareness for people who are starting to heal. for 30 years, I think I firmly fell in the category of "those who don't know they're victims b/c they don't realize was happened was sexual abuse". the thing is... the experience was still impacting other aspects of my life, particularly relationships.

it sounds like you know something happened and realize there are symptoms. that's a great place to start from. good luck!

of course! you are welcome here. hugs.

Yeah, you're very welcome here. Hope it helps you.

Beth85,

What type of workbook are you using? Is it something you can get off the internet? I have been trying to find a group here in Atlanta without any luck. I did see a posting of someone who was starting a group here, but that was last year.

First of all, welcome. Panic attacks, lack of trust, and fear of being alone in a dark room and problems of maintaining intimate relationships are all symptoms many of us share. However, some people who have them were abused mentally, or physically, or neglected emotionally. One of the problems with self diagnosis is that those who came from homes where the was no sexual abuse, but other abuse or being from a dysfunctional family can create the same symptoms.

I also think bouncing in and out of relationships at your age and younger may be a symptom of being a teenager. Although I am a person who has to guess at what normal is, it seems to me that being in and out of love as a teen is how we learn to do relationships.