Emotional and Sexual Abuse

What Is Sexual Abuse?

Sexual abuse is any attempt at a sexual act that is not mutually consensual. This is especially important in the case where an adult may indulge in sexual behaviour with a child, as children lack the cognitive and emotional capacity to give consent.

Victims of sexual abuse are usually women or children. It is a common misconception that men cannot be abused in this way. However, the truth is that while men are much less likely to experience sexual abuse, they are also less likely to report it due to stigma and shaming.

Sexual abuse can take place in, but is not limited to romantic relationships, friendships, business relationships and even between family members. A lot of the time the abuser is someone the victim has known for some time and developed trust with, but that is not always the case.

 

 

What Are the Possible Signs of Sexual Abuse?

Signs of sexual abuse vary greatly depending on the age of the person experiencing it. A lot of the symptoms that might point to it may in fact be signs of a different issue. Nevertheless, be cautious if you notice yourself or a loved one showing some of these signs:

In adults:

• sudden distancing or avoiding a certain person for no apparent reason
• social isolation and avoidance of physical contact, even if it isn’t of a sexual nature
• strong emotional outbursts and/or frequent crying
• injury of the genitals or the rectal area
• unwanted pregnancy

In children:

• nightmares and (more frequent) bedwetting
• regressive behaviour such as thumb sucking in older children
• refusing to get undressed for bath time, diapering and other appropriate occasions
• appearing unusually tense and fearful in the company of a certain person or persons
• appearance of blood or other discharge in the genital area unrelated to menstruation

 

What Is Emotional Abuse?

Emotional abuse is any behaviour in which one of the individuals involved uses their assumed authority or power to control, humiliate, blackmail or otherwise abuse another human being. It can occur in all kinds of interpersonal relationships and have long-lasting consequences on the victim’s mental health and overall wellbeing. People of any gender, sex, race and age can go through emotional abuse at some point in their lifetime.

Just like with sexual abuse, signs of emotional abuse are often not visible to the outside world. Even the person experiencing abuse might not be able to recognize it. This can be due to the fact that unlike physical abuse it doesn’t leave visible scars or bruises. Another reason might be that the abuser is skilled in manipulating the victim into believing they are overreacting or that they are the ones at fault. This can lead to a vicious cycle in which the victim tries to reason with the abuser just to be insulted or threatened into obedience.

 

 

How Do I Recognise Emotional Abuse?

Emotional abuse may not always be apparent but the abuser may display one or a number of these behaviours:

• constantly shifting the blame on the victim
• monitoring the victim (checking their emails and messages, controlling who they spend time with and where etc.)
• persistently making jokes about the victim’s physical appearance, belief system and other sensitive topics
• controlling the victim’s eating, dressing and other life habits
• dismissing the victim’s worries and belittling their accomplishments
• threatening to harm the victim or their loved one if they don’t do as they say

 

Why Does Sexual and Emotional Abuse Happen?

People who exhibit abusive behaviour have often themselves been abused in the past. This can turn into a learned relationship dynamic which they implement in future relationships.

However, there is no excuse for such behaviour and the abused person is never the one to blame, no matter what the relationship between the abuser and the victim may be.

 

When Should I Seek Help?

• If the abuser threatens to harm you, your children or themselves in order to get their way
• If you feel like your partner, family member or other individual is controlling your life and making choices for you
• If you are going through multiple types of abuse
• If you are being blackmailed, threatened or isolated in the work environment and forced to work outside normal work hours

 

 

Treatment We Offer

At Dr Jo Gee Psychotherapy, we are dedicated to providing our clients with a safe space to share their stories and catering to their individual needs. Our expert team will guide you through the therapeutic process one step at a time, making sure you get the most out of it. Discretion is guaranteed.

We use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat survivors of sexual and emotional abuse. Some of the benefits of CBT are:

• it gives you tools to work on your self-image and build your sense of self-worth
• it helps you unlearn unhealthy coping mechanisms and replace them with healthy ones
• it can aid you in processing the negative feelings and thoughts you may be experiencing
• it can be used for creating a safety plan to be used in future distressing situations

 

Get in Touch

Still not sure if you could benefit from our services? We offer a free 15 minute phone consultation at a time convenient for you. After that you can book a 50-75 minute assessment where you will have time to ask questions, share your therapy goals, discuss the possible outcomes, and build a personalized treatment plan with a member of our expert team. Your therapist will support you every step of the way, whether you opt for a short or a long-term plan.

If you would like to book an initial consultation, please message or call us, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.