After Abuse
by Teresia Smith
Sexual abuse, especially early in life, makes trusting others very difficult. If you were abused at a young age, relationships have not ever felt safe or reliable. You may have believed there was no one you could count on. And whoever abused you certainly betrayed you. You may have sensed that something wasn’t right, but you wondered if it was your fault. Maybe you were forced to keep it a secret. Possibly you did tell someone, but perhaps they didn’t believe you, or blamed you, or told you not to tell.