Triggering (Abuse): How Would you say that child abuse has affected you

[**Theresa**]

I have been affected by child abuse also and i am doing a survey about the effects of child abuse and i would like to know how it has affected you and how have you been able to overcome things.

[Le bonheur*]

It ruined my life. I have PTSD and it haunts me everyday. I have associated depression & anxiety and it makes me scared to go out when there are a bunch of people and I'm scared that things will repeat even as an adult. So basically, I live in fear because of what happened to me.

[Nicole!]

Originally Posted by believe.in.hope

It ruined my life. I have PTSD and it haunts me everyday. I have associated depression & anxiety and it makes me scared to go out when there are a bunch of people and I'm scared that things will repeat even as an adult. So basically, I live in fear because of what happened to me.

Exactly the same with me. I also flinch at times if people get too close.

[Skar]

I day dream every day about how great my life would be if I was born to other people. It literally destroyed my life. I'm a mess of a person.

I've heard that things in your childhood make such a large impact on your later life. My dad suffered some pretty serious childhood abuse, and he never got over it. The fear of never being able to get over it like that is the main reason for my suicidal thoughts. I haven't overcome things, I've just been able to cope from the small amount of 'hope' that things might be better one day, but I don't know.

[Ella.x]

I trust no-one and have huge difficulties in opening up emotionally and accepting help from others. I am obsessed with being independant, I'm absolutely terrified of the thought of relying on others. I think it has been a major contributor to my mental illness.

[Complete Love.]

Same as others said. I don't allow any male person to get to close or I flinch and back away. I get scared like I feel it's gonna happen again when they get to close to me. Im not able to open up to people as much anymore cause I feel like if I open up to them itll happen again. Also I don't show affection to male figures because Im always terriied that if I love them they might abuse me. Basically what the others said. Also when ever I'm alone or even just walking by a male I always get thoughts that they will rape me. Even though I want love from a male person really bad i don't allow them to so that I'll be safe.

[Agoraphobia♥]

I was never sexually abused by my parents, but I've dealt with emotional abuse almost half of my life and it's escalated to my aunt hitting me on quite a few occasions. But I do have trouble with some guys because I was molested by a friend's brother.

For me the abuse itself has affected me in the ways that I don't like to open up to people and if someone is angry I am at all costs going to avoid them for fear of being hit. I have terribly low self-esteem from being degraded by someone who I thought would always love me no matter what, and I can't really trust people because not only did my aunt tell me she loved me or that she was sorry but she'd go right back and degrade me again over and over no matter how many times she said sorry or she'd stop.

The molestation really affected me too, although I don't let anyone know I will always have that imprinted in my mind forever, I don't like males being very close to me including my boyfriend and I refuse to be alone with a guy for fear he'll try to take advantage of me. Doing anything sexual (i.e. touching and other forms of sex, etc...) makes me uncomfortable but no one knows and I don't let anyone know. Most think in that respects I'm fine but really I don't enjoy it because I haven't gotten past what happened before. I also can't say no, and I would link that back to when I was 10 and it happened, I didn't know what was going on and I said stop or no and it didn't matter so in my mind, no doesn't mean anything, so I just can't say no.

It seems like a lot of us all have pretty much the same problems with trust issues, low self-esteem and some of us have fear of male figures. It all depends on the abuse and childhood traumas but in the end, almost no one goes unaffected by abuse.