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I have your attention, don’t I? You’re wondering what is CSA. The revelation of stories about sexual harassment in the celebrity world opened the door for so many people to share their own stories of sexual abuse, including stories of childhood sexual abuse or CSA.
If someone is ready to share their story with others, it can be the key to initiating a plan for healing.
The first part to working a healing plan is answer the question “am I broken”? In other words, did the sexual abuse have an impact on my life to the point where I’m not completely whole?
How can you answer this question? For me, answering this one question required answering three other questions.
1. Do I like myself?
Can I look at myself in a mirror and say “Yea, I like what I see”? Or, do I find myself looking away? If I dare stare, do I evaluate every piece of me from the shape of my eyebrows to the curve of my hips?
2. Do I have a pattern of hurting myself?
Do I look for ways to criticize myself from my appearance to my skills and abilities? Do I label myself with words like ugly, dumb or even, loser? Do I physically try to harm myself?
3. Do I have a pattern of hurting others?
Do I use my mouth or my hands or my behavior to harm others? Do I leave a path of hurt people wherever I go? Do I feel better after I do this?
When I found myself answering “yes” to even one of these questions, I knew I was broken. I didn’t know to what degree, but I knew I needed to be mended. I needed healing. I needed help.
Take this self-test. If you find yourself answering “yes” to one of these questions, then you’ve made the first step towards healing – you acknowledge you are broken.