Episode 2 - Attachment Disorder - Why are Relationships difficult for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

'Trigger Warning' if you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse please remember the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 24-Hour Helpline 1800 77 8888

Why are Relationships difficult for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse 

In today’s podcast we will discuss one of the psychological disorders we developed as a direct result of suffering childhood sexual abuse.

Discovering this disorder confirmed for us the benefits of going back to look at our abuse in order to heal. Because we all struggled with relationships, we had to look at our beliefs and behaviours toward others in our lives which allowed us to identify how they had been and continued to be negatively impacted by our experience of being sexually abused as children.

In this podcast we will discuss the many ways this disorder manifested for each of us in our lives and how, until we became aware, we each accepted our negative beliefs and behaviours as simply part of who we were. 

That was before we discovered the relationship with this disorder and our past abuse.  Only through discussions and research did we realise, once again, absolutely every negative belief, trait and behaviour grew out of our experience of childhood sexual abuse.

We also discovered that of all the psychological impacts of childhood abuse/trauma, this was one of the last and most damaging we identified, simply because it encompassed so much. We also never knew it existed.  Although we each had trust issues and had some understanding of the damage it was doing to our lives, we didn’t know what to do about. 

We hope that today’s talk connects with you and helps you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and just how your abuse has impacted you. We believe when you are armed with the right information you can begin to heal and be kinder to yourself for things that were out of your control. 

As Maya Angelo said, ‘When you know better, you do better.’

Take Care 

Joyce, June & Paula xxx