Through my recovery and through talking with and reading about other survivors, I have found that there is a common thread of feelings that exists in the lives of most survivors: Shame, Guilt, Fear, Betrayal, Anger, Depression, Self-Loathing, and Sexual Issuses. This list is by no means meant to be all-inclusive or exhaustive. They are just the tip of the iceberg.These were the most common feelings that I experienced during my recovery, and since they are so common, I thought I would say a word about each one of them and how they can affect the lives of survivors. This is simply my opinion and what I have experienced or observed from others. The descriptions of the feelings and the suggestions of how to deal with them are not meant to be therapy, but instead are meant to assist the survivor to recognize these feeelings and validate them should they experience them. These feelings also are not only found in survivors of sexual abuse. There are multiple reasons a person may have these feelings, and so it should not automatically be assumed that these feelings only result from sexual abuse. Throughout the discussions of the individual feelings, for simplicity I have addressed the abuser in the masculine form. This is not to suggest that all abusers are male, or that only one abuser is involved. Not all situations or feelings may apply to you, so take what relates to you and discard the rest.
Please click on the individual links above to learn more about common feelings of childhood sexual abuse or return to the Homepage to click on the links.