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I am a child sexual abuse survivor. The aftereffects of sexual abuse plague me: PTSD, depression, anxiety, and a feeling of never being enough. I am not alone.
Child sexual abuse is one of the most common forms of childhood trauma. About one in 10 children will be sexually abused before they turn 18, and those are only the ones we know about. Only around 38 percent of child victims report that they have been sexually abused.
While people generally think of sexual assault happening to women, it is more likely to happen to children. Almost 70 percent of all reported sexual assaults happen to children 17 years old and younger.
Each victim lives with damage down to their brains, bodies, and sense of self for child sexual abuse causes deep damage. The damage done to the brain results in some victims developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Trauma is stored in the body. The title of trauma expert Bessel Van Der Kolk’s book is The Body Keeps the Score. Trauma elevates stress hormones which cause memory and attention problems, irritability, and sleep disorders, according to Van Der Kolk.
Rewiring the Brain and Clearing Stored Trauma
The only way to really heal from childhood trauma is to take a journey within. When you live with a brain that is damaged by trauma and a body that remembers the trauma, it is hard to believe you can heal.
The great news is that the brain can be rewired in a process called neuroplasticity, which a 2019 study defines as “the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections.”
There are two practices that I use daily to rewire my brain and clear trauma from my body: meditation and tapping (emotional freedom technique).
By reducing anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms, tapping and meditation help clear trauma from the body, which means more peace and joy for people who have suffered much.
While the emotional and spiritual benefits of meditation are widely known, what may not be as widely known is that meditation can rewire the brain. Researchers studied 27 adult survivors of child sexual abuse who participated in an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program and practiced mindfulness meditation at home.
What researchers found is that after completing the course, participants experienced a 65 percent reduction of depressive symptoms, and participants largely sustained improvements 24 weeks after starting the course.
In another study, researchers looked at child sexual abuse survivors 2.5 years after participating in an MBSR program. What they found is long-term improvements in depression, PTSD, and anxiety symptoms. Researchers concluded that MBSR “may be an effective long-term treatment for adults who have experienced childhood sexual abuse.”
Tapping
Tapping combines acupressure with modern psychology, consists of tapping on acupressure points while stating first a problem and then the truth.
For example, I frequently feel like I am not enough. I tap on the issue by first stating how I feel and then saying statements such as “I am enough” or “I can handle what life throws at me.”
A literature review of studies on tapping and PTSD looked at the effectiveness of tapping to treat PTSD symptoms. The review found that tapping is an effective treatment for PTSD. Another study found that tapping significantly decreases anxiety, a common condition among child sexual abuse survivors.
Practicing Meditation and Tapping
I find it is best to practice meditation and tapping when I first wake up in the morning. I tend to wake up with anxiety.
I like to prop up with pillows on my bed, making sure my spine is straight. I use The Tapping Solution app which contains tapping sessions on a variety of topics, including anxiety and depression. After doing 20 to 25 minutes of tapping I meditate for 10 minutes.
If you want to learn more about meditation, check out the free MBSR course.
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