Afraid Of Men: The Reality For A Sexual Assault Survivor
This isn’t just my reality — this is the reality for women
No one tells you how triggering motherhood can be.
Knowing you have to protect a defenseless, small being who is completely dependant on you rings a bell when you are a trauma survivor. We spend our lives wanting to be safe, then suddenly we become protectors.
It’s not always the case, but usually, a child who has experienced trauma and abuse did not have anyone to protect them. So when they become protectors as adults, it can be extremely triggering – something that most survivors of childhood abuse are not warned about. I certainly wasn’t.
What it’s like to be afraid of an attack
Ever since men started to sexualize me during my teen years, and a relative sexually abused me, I have been frightened of men. I know not all men are the same – my father, my son and my fiancé are some of the best people I know and I am grateful to have these three wonderful guys in my life – but if I am alone with a man I don’t know, my PTSD kicks into overdrive and I am ready to defend myself – just in case. When a relative – someone you’re meant to trust – lets you down and hurts you in an unimaginable way, you see everyone else in a different…
