top of page
The Impact of Trauma
Screen Shot 2021-08-16 at 5.24.53 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-08-16 at 3.58.18 PM.png
Submitted by a male Survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
                    --Born with Shame--

In the depths of my past, a journey unfolds,

Reflecting on the seeds I've sown, stories untold. 
When asked of my history, a tale I would spin, 
Whispering admissions of perceived sin.

 

Born premature, in a world so cold,

From a mother addicted, her story untold.

Living in shadows, where darkness held sway,

A turbulent start, shaping me every day.

 

No words to father, mother, kin,

Nor siblings' ears to let their voices in.

No dwelling, no grandpa's loving embrace,

No grandma's warmth, no solace to chase.

 

My birth certificate, a silent reminder,

A blank space, a wound that grows wider.

Rejection engraved on that fragile sheet,

Fueling doubts, causing my heart to retreat.

 

From birth, they stripped my rightful claim,

With no possession sacred, no hope to tame.

Even my flesh, denied as my own,

A tragedy endured, a truth I've known.

 

For years, burdened by self-imposed blame,

Believing I was the one, the child of shame.

Instinctively, I still say I was hard to bear,

A troubled soul, too difficult to care.

 

But it was a falsehood, a twisted perception,

The monters, the groomers mere fabrication.

I wonder if I will ever be able to reclaim,

The parts of me they have stolen and defamed.

 

I was left with scars no one could see,

And pain that would never truly set me free,

The chains they put on all around my spine,

A darkness, I was forced to confine.

 

Groomers prey on innocence with no empathy or care,

Leaving nothing but shame and despair,

A weight upon my soul that I cannot shake,

No matter how much I try or how much I ache.

 

Within the ink of sorrow, pain takes form,

Crafting a tale of anguish, its depth forlorn.

An abandon child, stripped of all, left alone,

Whispered secrets silenced, forever unknown.

 

Still, I am grateful to God for the gift of my heart,

A spirit resilient, refusing to fall apart.

For it is in the deepest challenges we face,

That the hand of God provides the embrace.

The Process of Healing From the Impact of Trauma

 The impact of sexual trauma is real, profound, multi-facetted, and takes time to process, as a survivors moves through the process and stages of healing. Though the promise of a "quick fix" is no doubt inviting, there is simply no way around the path and the process necessary to heal such deep emotional wounds. But, the good news is that it doesn't require decades worth of therapy to move through the process, to proceed to the other side of the canyon of pain. But, it does take concerted and dedicated effort to the healing process.
​
In the following, you will find invaluable help toward the goal of your healing.
​
The first thing Jon K. Uhler, LPC recommends is to discern the extent to which you may dissociate, as that will give you an objective indicator of the degree and extent of the trauma you've experienced. As trauma leaves a significant impact, becoming aware of, and settled on the reality of that impact, is a crucial first step in beginning your journey to healing.  
​
The following link will take you to a site that has good information on trauma, and has the following self-assessment tool to help you discern the extent to which you may be experiencing dissociation, which is a very predictable result of trauma.
Screenshot 2024-12-20 at 10.36.02 PM.png
 The impact of trauma is very real, and will unfortunately not simply get better with time, without your active participation in the process of resolving the pain from the abuse.

The good news is that healing from significant trauma does not have to take decades, as there is a way to help your healing to move forward.  Toward the end of helping Survivors understand what is involved in the process of healing from such trauma, Jon K. Uhler, LPC, did a brief over view of what that process is like, and how Survivor can move the process of healing forward. That series is provided below.

If, after reviewing the following material, you would like to contact Jon about his "personal consulting & coaching" for survivors, you can do so via the home page, by clicking the box for "Personal Consultant".
 
(Pt. 1) Understanding a Survivor's Internal System & Starting the Healing Process.
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
Screenshot 2024-05-08 at 11.41.48 PM.png
Link to downloadable PDF version of the Inside System chart
(Pt. 2) Digging into D.I.D. & Parts: Dissociation, Switching & Internal Dialogue. 
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt. 3) Dissociative Identity Disorder: Understanding Co-Conscious & Unconscious States of Dissociation 
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt. 4) Dissociative Identity Disorder: 
What Happens in the D.I.D. System When a Survivor Gets Triggered?
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt. 5) D.I.D. Triggering on an Unconscious Level - How Does it Happen, and Why?" Series on DID/MPD.
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt. 6) The Priority & Process of Journaling for Extreme Childhood Trauma Survivors.
A series on DID
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt.7) "Early Treatment Stages: Awareness & Cooperation of the Internal System”
A series on DID
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt.8) Moving Forward in Therapy When Things Start to Shut Down on the Inside.
A series on DID
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt.9)  Breaking Through Key Barriers During the Early Stages of Trauma Therapy.
A series on DID
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt.10)  The Predictable Challenges Experienced During the Early Stage of Therapy for Survivors.
A series on DID
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
(Pt.11)  How Far Along Are You In Your Trauma Therapy? How to Measure Your Progress.
A series on DID
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
The following is part of the larger series on DID, with podcast host, Emma Katherin and clinical guest Jon K. Uhler, LPC. It is offered as a means of helping Survivors understand how perpetrators become that way. The associated chart w/ downladable link is provided below.

(Pt 4) Sadistic Sexual Psychopaths: What Drives Them to Offend?
Series on Assessing Sexual Psychopathy
Jon K. Uhler, LPC
SurvivorSupport.net
Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 2.10.18 PM.png
Link to downloadable PDF version of the Inside System chart

There is hope for Survivors, as there is an understandable process to the journey to healing.
What does the process of healing look like? In Jon's estimation, there is no better example of a someone who has been able to traverse the depths of the pain of some of the most horrific things imaginable, and has not only lived to tell about it, but has been able to make significant progress in working through the process of amnesia (dissociation), regaining the long-suppressed memories of such abuse, working the crucial stepss necessary in processing the trauma, toward regaining control of her life, and experiencing a sense of hope for the future, than Diana, who elected to go public regarding being a client of Jon's, to share what her journey has been like, and the process she has been able to methodically and systematically record by which her healing journey has been able to move forward in very positive ways.

Diana felt compelled to help offer the resources she has developed during her very intense journey, toward equipping Survivors with the very practical tools & resources she has used to help move her therapy and healing forward. Thus she created the following website, which Jon is most excited to bring to the attention to all Survivors. 

If after reviewing her work, and her site, you would like to request some personalized coaching time with Diana, you can sign-up for that under the Consultations tab of her site. Though Diana's work is completely separate and independent from SurvivorSupport.net, Jon is extremely grateful that Diana is making her work, her content, and herself available to help Survivors take their healing to the next level. 

In the following video, Diana describes the important points for Survivors to understand as they remain on the path to healing, and provides some very useful charts and a powerpoint presentation on how to traverse and progress through the necessary "way points" on the journey to healing. The link to her videos and her website site are also provided for your convenience.

"Our Path to Healing"
More of Diana's Videos
Diana's Website
Screenshot 2025-01-18 at 4.54.00 AM.png
Understanding Your Inner World
Internal Family Systems
Dr. Richard Schwartz, Ph.D.,
Harvard School of Medicine
Inner Parts Explained
Dr. Frank Anderson, MD
Harvard School of Medicine
For those who've experienced significant trauma, often times, it leaves one with parts of themselves that became segmented and separated. The experience can be difficult to understand without help from those who understand the idea of trauma-related "parts." Additionally, it can feel like you are the only one who experiences this internal phenomenon. The following site has been recommended by a Survivor, who has found the following group and organization to be a good sources of support and connection with others who also were likewise impacted by trauma. 
 
Screen Shot 2022-09-06 at 4.55.58 PM.png
The Plural Association.org
Screen Shot 2022-09-08 at 10.33.14 PM.png
Repressed Memories:
Are they false & fictitious, or... a real thing, resulting from trauma?
An interview with a combat veteran.
Healing Wounded Inner
Dr. Richard Schwartz, Ph.D.,
Harvard School of Medicine
3 Ways Trauma Changes the Brain
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD.
As I work with Survivors who have experienced sexual trauma, and now live with the experience of "parts", they are often confused as to understand the phenomenon of dissociation and "switching", and how to understand how their parts, their various mood states, and their emotional shifting. A brave client of mine has offered the following drawing to help things make sense. The parts will often have names as you get to know them, and will communicate with you and each other, if you allow them to, during your journaling process. 
Screen Shot 2022-06-16 at 12.49.25 AM.png
Consequences of Sexual Abuse
The Effect of Trauma on the Brain and How it Affects Behaviors,  John Rigg 
The Paradox of Trauma-Informed Care, 
Vicky Kelly
When Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds,  Dr. Robert K. Ross
The Polyvagal Theory: Looking at Trauma from a New Perspective, Stephen Porges, PhD
The Neuroscience of PTSD/ The Brain and PTSD
Do Different Traumas Cause Different Forms of PTSD?
Trauma Resolution and Addiction Treatment, Dr. Peter Levine
Dr. Peter Levine about stress and trauma recovery, resilience, Somatic Experiencing, and more.
What is Complex PTSD and How Can it Be Managed?      Dr. Frank Ochberg
What are Emotional Triggers and How Can We Manage Them?
bottom of page