12 June 2007
	Help for Adult Victims Of Child Abuse. A non-profit making organisation based in the UK dedicated to provide help, support and information to any adult who is suffering from past childhood abuse.

The Source of this is: "The Sexual Healing Journey"
by Wendy Maltz

1. ATTITUDES ABOUT SEX
Sexual abuse generates negative, false attitudes about sex. These become hidden from your consciousness. You may have difficulty separating abusive sex from healthy sex. Offenders contaminate victims, imprinting them with an abusive way of thinking about sex, a sexual abuse mind-set. This mind-set can affect every aspect of a victim's sexuality: sexual drive, sexual expression, sex roles, intimate relationships, knowledge of sexual functioning, and sense of morality. How have you been affected by this sexual abuse mind-set? Put a check star (*) in front of each statement you agree with and a question mark (?) in front of each statement you sometimes or partially agree with (statements that don't fit either category should be left blank).

2.SEXUAL SELF-CONCEPT
Sexual abuse, and its consequences, can unconsciously influence how you feel about yourself and about sex. You may now see yourself as sexually damaged, suffering a poor sexual self-concept. Or you may have developed a self-concept that is inflated, where you believe you're more powerful as a result of sex. Knowing how you view yourself as a sexual person is fundamental to eventually making changes in your sexual behaviour. Put a check mark in front of each statement you agree with and a question mark (?) in front of each statement you sometimes or partially agree with.

3.AUTOMATIC REACTIONS TO TOUCH AND SEX
Sexual abuse can create a conditioned way of reacting to touch and sex. Some survivors get panicky, avoid sexual possibilities, and want to run the other way when sexually approached. Others freeze and feel helpless and unable to protect themselves. Still others get overexcited and may recklessly seek dangerous sexual encounters. You may experience spontaneous reactions to sex that cause you to numb sexual feelings, to divorce your mind from what is happening physically, or to become sexually aroused in inappropriate ways. Sexual settings and contact can bring back negative feelings associated with abuse. Flashbacks to sexual abuse may arise and interfere with sexual relating and satisfaction. Put a check mark in front of each statement you agree with and a question mark (?) in front of each statement you sometimes or partially agree with.

4.SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR
Sexual abuse can shatter our capacity for healthy sex. You may have been taught abusive patterns of sexual behaviour and introduced to unhealthy, compulsive, abnormal sexual activities. Now as a reaction you may associate your sexual expression with secrecy and shame. Some survivors may withdraw from sex, preventing any fresh discovery of healthy sex. Other survivors may become preoccupied and driven by sex. Sometimes survivors reenact the abuse in an unconscious attempt to resolve deep-seated emotional conflict related to the original abuse. These reactions need to be identified so you can better understand your behaviour and eventually work toward healthy changes. Put a check mark in front of each statement you agree with and a question mark (?) in front of each statement you sometimes or partially agree with.

5.Intimate Relationships
Sexual abuse influences a survivor's ability to establish and maintain healthy sexual relationships. Abuse can interfere with our ability to make good choices. Some survivors may have difficulty selecting partners who are emotionally supportive. Other survivors may be unable to trust and feel safe with intimate partners who do care. Survivors may fear intimacy or have a limited capacity to experience closeness. The sexual difficulties a survivor may have as a result of abuse often create emotional and sexual problems for the partner. Knowing where relationship difficulties lie, and how abuse has caused problems, can help you work with your partner to solve individual concerns and to build a more intimate relationship together. Put a check mark in front of each statement you agree with and a question mark (?) in front of each statement you sometimes or partially agree with.  I am drawn to partners who demand sex from me.

6.Sexual Functioning Problems
Sexual abuse can create specific problems with sexual functioning. Abuse may have taught you unhealthy patterns of responding to sexual stimulation. Stress and anxiety that originated with abuse may continue to shadow your sexual activity. Over time these sexual problems interfere with intimacy and long-term sexual satisfaction. As you identify problem areas in how you function sexually now, you are also identifying specific sexual concerns to work on in the healing process. Put a check mark in front of each statement you agree with and a question mark (?) in front of each statement you sometimes or partially agree with.

What you can learn from the inventory.

Now that you have completed the Sexual Effects Inventory, go back and review your responses.

Remember: There is no grading system, no correct set of answers. Rather you are looking to identify the effects of abuse on your current sexual self. For many survivors, taking the inventory leads to self-discovery, self-awareness. It's another step in your journey. Although your inventory is unique, you may learn from, or feel support from, the following reactions from other survivors. "I didn't realize how much my sexuality has been affected "Many survivors feel upset after taking the inventory. You may be surprised and even distressed at the number of items you have checked. "I have checked nearly half of all items in each category," a survivor said. You may be shocked that you checked items in so many different categories. Yet checking items forces survivors to overcome their denial. Real problems exist. By acknowledging them you can work on them. "Different items are more important to me than others "The impact of particular sexual effects can vary from person to person. A repercussion that is merely annoying to one survivor might be extremely upsetting to another. A lesbian survivor who feels fear when seeing an erect penis may find this sexual repercussion unimportant. But the same fear might be extremely upsetting to a heterosexual woman or a gay man. Some items such as, "I engage in sexual behaviours that could harm me"...signal immediate danger. You will need to give these kinds of statements a higher priority in your sexual recovery. "I see trends and patterns in my responses "Many survivors see trends in one or two directions: feeling negative about and withdrawing from sexual activity, or becoming compulsive and engaging in a lot of sexual activity. "I can see that I tend to withdraw from sex, even though I crave getting touched" a survivor remarked. Some survivors notice trends in both directions. "I feel compelled to masturbate a lot, yet I withdraw from having sex with my partner," another survivor commented. Many of the items in the inventory overlap. Our attitudes about sex influence our sexual experiences and behaviour, and vice versa. You may notice patterns and links in the types of items you checked and how they relate to each other. In the following statement by a woman survivor, I have added words in brackets to indicate the different categories of sexual effects she reveals. When I reached high school and college I began to experience intense fear whenever I was asked out (automatic reactions). I was sure I would end up in a struggle over intercourse, even on the first date. I thought that was all these boys and men wanted from me (sexual attitudes). I feared the idea of having sex with anyone (automatic reactions). I thought sex as banal, ridiculous, something for weak-minded folk (sexual attitudes). I never once went out on a date (sexual behaviour). My fear created a complete lack of interest in sex, dating, and physical contact (relationships, sexual functioning problems). I became a total bookworm (self-concept).  Because items relate to one another, when you do begin to make changes in one aspect of sexual healing, you will automatically be making improvements in others. "My responses are different than they would have been in the past "Survivors often comment that they would have marked the inventory differently had they taken it one, five, ten or twenty years ago. Sexual repercussions can show up in different ways in different stages of your life. For instance, many survivors experience a period of high sexual activity in their dating years, then encounter problems with sexual interest and functioning only after they have become involved in a committed, long-term relationship. Retaking the inventory at different times can help you see how sexual repercussions of abuse may have changed over time and point to areas where you are making progress. A survivor gave an example of age-related changes: As a child aged ten to fifteen, I engaged in what now would seem like excessive masturbation and stimulation of myself with objects. Then, in my teens, I didn't like to touch myself. Now I prefer to masturbate only when I am feeling good about myself. And another survivor said, "It's good to see that I've stopped using sex to try and fill an empty feeling in my heart. "You may want to take the Sexual Effects Inventory again in the future. It can be a powerful resource to refer to at different times in your sexual recovery, helping you identify areas for change. The inventory can also give you a way of evaluating the progress you make in your sexual healing journey. In taking this inventory you may have gotten your first real awareness of how profoundly the abuse may have harmed you sexually. If you are feeling upset by what you've learned, remember that yours is a common reaction and a crucial one. You may need to grieve your losses and to feel the emotional pain and anger. As we proceed through this book, you will have a chance to address all the concerns you have checked. You will grow, and your current outrage at how much you were hurt will help fuel your will to heal.

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