Journey to Healing for survivors of incest, sexual abuse, and rape.

Steps to Healing

The journey to healing from sexual abuse is not quick or easy. If you are able, try to find some help in your walk through the abuse. No one should have to go through this alone. Finding a good counselor or mentor is almost essential to your healing.

The best counseling method that I have found for healing from sexual abuse is called Theophostic. Healing Life's Deepest Hurts is a book that can help you understand how Theophostic works. Read the first three chapters here. You can find someone to help you with your healing at www.yourfreedomnet.com Where you can look for a local counselor - the better option - or someone who will work with you by phone or Internet. You can also look for help at the International Association for Theophostic Ministry. The FreedomNet site has a list of questions you can ask a potential counselor.

In addition to getting help from a counselor, you may find that working through the steps below helps you heal. The obsticles in your path will come in a different order than mine did but we usually all face the same ones somewhere along the journey.

The pain you feel now isn't so much from the things that were done to you. Instead it is mostly the result of the lies that you believed as a result of the abuse. Take a few minutes now and write down how your heart was different after the abuse than it was before it happened.

The lies that the enemy left will usually be about God and about you. The best place to start - and usually one of the hardest is to look at what you believe and feel about God. Most of the ladies I work with are very angry at Him for allowing the abuse to happen. If this is how you feel, or even if your relationship with God is good, would you take some time to work through step one?

Step 1 – Is God Good?

Step 2 – Is God the Father like my father?

Step 3 – Can God meet all my needs?

Step 4 – Why do I have so much pain?

Step 5 – How can I break my coping habits?

The book titles are linked to amazon.com but they can usually be obtained at a much better price at www.half.com