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Torn
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My sister was raped at the beginning of the year and is in a difficult place right now.
There is a decision to be made today and she is really struggling with what direction she should make.
One part of her wants to peruse charges and the other part of her doesn’t want to be responsible for ruining someone’s life with a criminal record.
She is truly the most kind hearted selfless girl and it pains me to see her in so much grief.
It has also had a great impact on my family.
My parents have been with her every step of the way, she has our entire support as a family unit. I am worried about my father who is showing increasingly worrisome behaviour.
I can only imagine how traumatic it must be to watch your child go through such an ordeal.
My mother has buried her head in distractions.
I feel for them and feel very helpless.
On top of this, I was sexually assaulted a few years ago by someone I considered a close friend and it really ruined a lot of things in my life.
This whole situation has triggered a lot of emotional memories for me, I was not able to speak up the way my sibling has been able to due to the person being a manager at my work place and the fear of losing my job.
I was foolish and continued to see this person later down the track as I was just a wreck and alone and so very confused by my life as I once knew it falling apart.
I feel like I am going through this again with my sister but at a far greater level.
As now my whole family is going through the trauma and watching someone we care so greatly about in so much agony that we cannot fix.
All I can do is let her know that she is supported, that I love her and that there is no right or wrong way of processing this.
But when it comes to my parents, how do I support them.
They have been through so much and been pillars of strength for my brother my sister and I.
I worry so much about them and just want to see them living happily at this stage of their lives.
They deserve it.
I feel exhausted.
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Dark Betty,
I am so sorry for you, your sister and your entire family. A trauma like this does impact more than the person to whom it happened, and despite how exhausted you feel I think you are doing a very good job of identifying your own emotions in this while dealing with how the situation is bringing up memories for you. Please don't beat yourself up about how you handled your own assault, you should not feel guilty that you didn't report it or continued to see the man responsible. Sexual trauma impacts a person on so many levels, destroys confidence, self-image etc. it takes many years to make sense of it.
I am no expert in trauma or trauma recovery, so I can't offer any professional advice. But I can say that my sister was raped by a family 'friend' when she was 16 and much of what you've said reminds me of my own family's struggles to deal with it. I suffered enormous guilt that I wasn't able to stop her getting tangled up with a person I sensed was toxic. I've always felt I should have done more to keep her safe from him. My mother too just wanted to ignore the whole thing, and my father became withdrawn, muttering comments about getting a shotgun etc. He never did and things smoothed over, but to this day it is a topic not discussed in the family house. It's been buried and there is some estrangement between my sister and my parents as a result.
Just know you are not alone. I think the best thing you can do is keep the lines of communication open, be support for your sister as you have been and perhaps it's time for you to seek counselling to deal with your own trauma. You can also encourage your parents to talk it out, with a professional or in some other way. They could ring a helpline perhaps. It sounds like you are already doing so much and they must take some action to deal with their own response to this so you and your sister can be free deal with yours.
Good luck, I hope you all find a way to heal.
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Good Witch, thank you.
There a some points you have written to me that mean more than I know how to put into words.
Please know you’ve helped in more ways than one and I’m very grateful.
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Hello Darkbetty
Welcome to Beyond Blue forums. I'm so pleased you've found your way here. GoodWitch has shared her wisdom with you which is good to see. I don't have much else to contribute.
Just remember you are not alone in what both you and your sister have experienced. If you are not already aware there is a hotline you and she can both contact - 1800RESPECT (i.e. 1800 737732). You sound like you have been managing yourself very well after your sexual assault.
I'm not a health professional so the information I share with you is based on my experience. I too have PTSD, anxiety and depression from being raped at 12 years old. The difficult part of my story is - my memory only came to me 7-8 years ago. One of the major things I've dealt with since then is the triggers. I started a thread under the PTSD and trauma forum - Sharing strategies to help with PTSD. You may find something useful for you or your family. You also may have something you'd like to add.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
PamelaR
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