Healing From the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Have you been traumatized? Have the effects of childhood sexual abuse left you with an ongoing storm in your soul? Emotions in turmoil and thoughts of despair? I see you, my friend. And today, I’m here with you as you read these words…from my heart to yours.

The Storm in Your Soul

In nature, turbulence occurs when a warm updraft clashes with a cooler downdraft. And so it goes when trauma and deception come to blows in the soul. Real-life trauma twisted by the lies of Darkness. It’s how children caught between divorcing parents decide the fault is theirs. How the beaten, traumatized wife thinks she deserves it. And how a child struggling with the effects of childhood sexual abuse comes to believe they must have done something wrong.

What are the wounds of your heart? The damage to your soul the Darkness loves to exploit?

If Goldilocks had ever come to my childhood home, she would have found three bears, alright…alcoholism, incest, and violence. As a result, for most of my life, I’ve lived with just such a storm in my soul. Feeling like one day, I’d drown in a sea of shame and self-loathing. Convinced anxiety, depression, and brokenness would be my legacy.

Humpty Dumpty

In 2005, I became seriously ill. And then, two years later, an avalanche of emotional and mental pain tore through my life as memories long tethered deep in my subconscious suddenly flooded into the present. I felt like Humpty Dumpty. And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

As I began to process my way through all the trauma and effects of childhood sexual abuse, I became ravenous for any encouragement I could get my hands on. I ordered every book Amazon had on healing from childhood sexual abuse. Every book they had on incest. As I said, I was ravenous. I wanted to understand the trauma and its impact. But my soul also longed for hope. 

Sadly, here’s what I discovered. Most books were written for professionals – counselors, therapists, etc., and they approached the topic from a very clinical, academic point of view. Very little hope for the traumatized.

And then there were the “religious” books – each one began with forgiveness! Right there in the first chapter…forgiveness! Each and every such book I tossed across the room or up against a wall. Seriously.

Don’t get me wrong; forgiveness is important for healing. For sure. But when Jesus encountered the brokenhearted, the traumatized, he didn’t start with forgiveness. He first addressed their pain. He first tended to their wounds.

Hope for the Traumatized

Victims of childhood sexual abuse are tragically under-served in our world. So few good resources are available to encourage victims and give them hope of healing their traumatized souls.

Counseling is extraordinarily beneficial, and I highly recommend it. But sometimes, quality counseling can be hard to find or expensive to sustain. And many times, victims are told, Can’t you just get over it? Just let it go. And so, long-term support can be hard to come by. Making healing from the trauma and effects of childhood sexual abuse a lonely, isolated endeavor.

And so, I created this place for you! A haven to nurture and encourage your soul as you heal. Can I walk with you? Encourage you? Could I please come along beside you and champion you along the way as you heal?

I don’t have all the answers. But I do know from experience what it’s like to have survived childhood sexual abuse. And not just survive, but heal and flourish. I suppose I’ll forever be healing. And that’s okay. I’ve come to love myself in the process. And that, my friend, is the miracle I long for you to experience!

I’d love to connect with you as you heal. Subscribe below to receive my weekly content and encouragement and share your thoughts, prayer requests, and questions. 

Trusting in Jesus, you have more treasure than pockets. From my heart to yours,

PS: You can also connect with me over at sandraadcock.com where as a master certified life and business coach I help burned out entrepreneurs recalibrate and restore so they can get back to growing their businesses while still protecting what’s most important – their families and personal wellness.