Recovery from Child Sexual Abuse: Breaking The Cycle Svava Brooks Cer,fied Child Sexual Abuse Preven,on Educator Advocate and Survivor www.Educate4Change.com svava@educate4change.com
This program is for informational and educational purposes only. It is the counsel or not meant to replace treatment of a licensed therapist.
How are you doing?
hIp://www.thrivingnow.com/tapping-‐points-‐and-‐instruc,ons/ 2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
Breaking the Cycle – Sandra P. Riggin Sandra P. Riggin: “We are mul,dimensional beings. Childhood trauma impacts all our dimensions and so healing each with a holis,c approach is the only way to go.” The three things needed for change to occur. • The desire to change • The knowledge of how to change • An environment where you can prac,ce your new behaviors
2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
Breaking the Cycle – Sandra P. Riggin Healing begins when we are willing to take a honest look at how the abuse affected us. Willingness to learn about ourselves. How we respond to our past is normal: • We feel responsible for the abuse • When we hide this part of ourselves, we are disconnected from ourselves and others • From this agony we start ac,ng out, oVen unconsciously: • Drinking, drug addic,ons • Ea,ng disorders • Self-‐mu,la,on • Suicide aIempts • Depression, anxiety, panic, PTSD • People pleasing • Sexual addic,on • Underachieving -‐-‐Sandra P. Riggin 2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
Breaking the Cycle – Sandra P. Riggin Because of abuse, children grow up with distorted nega,ve core beliefs and feel they are to blame for everything that happens. (misconcep,on) They take everything personally, don’t feel as if they are as good as everyone else, and feel needy. (misconcep,on). To cover up how they feel about themselves and the pain they endured as a child, they fall into myriad self-‐destruc,ve behaviors. -‐-‐ -‐-‐Sandra P. Riggin
2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
Breaking the Cycle – Sandra P. Riggin How and why?
We filter everything that happened to us through the distorted belief that we are to blame. You felt responsible for what was happening and because you could not change it or stop it, you started to feel bad about yourself. We then either recreate our childhood situa,on or over compensate. Both are unconscious acts. Understanding what we do and how. Evalua,ng ourselves gives the opportunity to change, make different choices. Situa,on + Belief = Consequences/Feelings We can change our nega,ve belief (nega,ve self talk) by choosing cogni,ve phrases. 2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
Breaking the Cycle – Sandra P. Riggin How and why?
Requires work, dedica,on and consistent effort. Sample phrases: Write them down, carry them with you. • Thinking Feelings Behavior • People don’t do things against me, they do things to meet • their own needs. • How people behave tells me about them, not about me. • Things don’t bother me, it’s the view I take of them that does • I learned to be this way, so I can learn to be different, and I am learning to be different • That was then and this is now • My name is______________ and I am ENOUGH!! -‐-‐ From the Breaking the cycle.
2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
RECOMMEND
Purchase Sandra’s book: Breaking the Cycle. Link to an interview with Sandra P. Riggin: hIp://www.blogtalkradio.com/taalk/2011/09/01/breaking-‐the-‐cycle-‐with-‐sandy-‐riggin
2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com
Resources
The healing begins with you and the suffering can end with you. -‐-‐Svava Brooks
• Survivor Support and Resources thelamplighters.org siawso.org
malesurvivor.org Call 211 OneHealth.com acestudy.org
psychologytoday.com educate4change.com JusIell.org jaimeromo.com
Great Books for survivors: The Courage to Heal – Ellen Bass Breaking the Cycle – Sandra Riggins Repair Your Life – Marjorie McKinnon
1in6.org
Taalk.org survivormanual.com survivingspirit.com connec,onssp.org
2013 Svava Brooks, educate4change.com