CHILD RAPE & ABUSE
Sharing Guideline for Adult survivors of Child Abuse

Most ACA's can describe what happened to them, during our sharing in the Characteristics aspect of ACA meetings. Describing what happened to us is the 1st step in the 4-step process. Most of us never get to express our thoughts, feelings, wants or needs about what we have lived through. Our deepest healing and recovery begins as we express our unspoken thoughts, our unresolved feelings and our denied wants and needs.

The Steps:
1)- Describe what happened to you, what you lived through, experienced, saw or heard. Try completing the sentences using "I saw" or "I heard": Eg: " I saw _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ " or "I heard _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ "

2)- Express your thoughts about was done. Condemn the deed or behaviour that was enacted. Try finishing the sentence below to help you: Eg: "When he/she was doing this, I think_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"

Their behaviour:(cruel, abusive, disrespectful, inconsiderate, manipulative, violating you, rejecting you, exploiting you, bullying you, using you etc.)

3)- Express your feelings about what you had lived through. Try finishing the sentence below to guide you: Eg: "When he/she was doing this, I felt _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "
Feelings: (angry, hurt, afraid, shamed, guilty, belittled, powerless, rejected, violated, exploited, horrified, confused, traumatized, abandoned, alone, etc)

4)- Express your wants and needs as a result of what you have lived through.
Try finishing the sentences below to help guide you: Eg: "When this was happening, I most needed _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "
"When this was happening, I most wanted _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"
"Having lived through this, what I need now is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"
"Having lived through this, what I want now is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"

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