Sexual abuse can be characterized by repeated violent or cruel treatment of a person in form of molestation, rape, non-consensual sexual contact. It is often an attempt to prove authority or gain power. Abuse may have long lasting physical, psychological or emotional effects on person and is not biased towards any particular gender, religion, sexual orientation or race leaving a person feel vulnerable and powerless.
Professional assistance is essential if a person is to realize that it is essential to let go of the feeling of blame and shame, as abuse was not their fault in regaining emotional balance. Although sharing the incredible pain with someone else is painful, it does relieve stress and helps regulate emotions and strengthen relationships with others.
Anxiety is a common reaction to the attack, as the victim might also choose to be left alone and not leave the house, leading to loss of control over life and issues when living a normal life. Event flashbacks may cause the person to re-experience it over and over again, and make them feel uncomfortable. The person feels guilty very frequently and thinks about multiple incident-related 'what-if' scenarios.
Individual self-image and self-esteem are often seriously affected, and because of the common understanding of rape and abuse the individual feels dirty and sometimes wants to shower frequently. Society has to change its view of survivors in order to make their lives easier following any such accident.
Sexual harassment has a stigma attached to it and it makes a person feel vulnerable or dirty and worried about how people will respond because it's incredibly hard to accept that they've been abused or assaulted but keeping it as secret reinforces victimhood directly. Avoiding the truth, and not talking about the abuse, makes recovery difficult for an individual. Opening up in front of a compassionate, and empathetic person frees the patient from feeling guilt and regret.
