TRAUMA & ABUSE

There are many different forms of abuse such as physical, emotional, and sexual. On this page, you will learn about

▪️ The different forms of abuse, mental disorders that can result from the abuse

▪️ How past and present abuse causes a person to question their perceptions and competence

▪️ How our expert therapists at Lighthouse Counseling Services can help you work through your past traumas in a safe, accepting environment.

Physical abuse is a deliberate violent or aggressive act by one person to another that results in bodily harm. Individuals who experience physical abuse often feel helpless and isolated.

Physical abuse can lead to depression, eating disorders, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.

Warning Signs that Physical Abuse May Be Occurring:

▪️Skin injuries that appear to have a pattern.

▪️Frequent injuries that are unexplained or the story doesn't match the injury.

▪️Withdrawing from regular or social activities.

▪️Anxious behavior

▪️Unusually aggressive behavior

Individuals who experience emotional abuse are often the recipients of insults and humiliation. Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that centers around control, manipulation, isolation, and demeaning or threatening behavior.

Warning Signs that Emotional Abuse May Be Occurring:

▪️Monitoring and controlling of the victim’s time and spending

▪️Isolation from family and friends

▪️Constant criticism

▪️Humiliation, shaming, demeaning

▪️Instilling self-doubt and worthlessness

▪️Gaslighting: causing a person to question their perceptions and competence.

Sexual abuse involves unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators often using force, making threats, or taking advantage of victims not being able to give consent. Immediate reactions to sexual assault may include shock, fear, or disbelief.

Long-term effects of childhood abuse may include anxiety, fear, or posttraumatic stress disorder.

Warning signs of Sexual Abuse:

▪️Trouble sleeping

▪️Eating more or less than usual

▪️Trouble walking or sitting

▪️Fear of being with or around certain people or persons

▪️Fear of being alone️

If you, or someone you know, is currently being abused, call your local law enforcement agency for immediate assistance.

Past and present abuse can profoundly affect a person's perception of themselves and their abilities, often leading them to question their competence and reality. Here’s how:

1. Diminished Self-Worth

▪️ Childhood abuse often causes feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy. When a person grows up with messages of being un-loveable, unworthy, incapable, or unimportant, they internalize these beliefs. As a result, they may constantly question their own value and abilities in various situations, even as they grow into adulthood.

▪️ Present abuse, as adults can reinforce these negative beliefs, making it even harder to trust their own judgment and abilities.

2. Confusion About Reality (Gaslighting)

▪️ Abusers often manipulate the victim’s sense of reality through gaslighting—a psychological tactic where they make the victim doubt their own perceptions, memories, or even sanity. The victim may feel disoriented, as they are constantly second-guessing what they know to be true thus leading them to question their judgment and competence in day-to-day situations that require decision-making.

3. Difficulty Trusting Oneself

▪️ Growing up in an abusive environment can disrupt healthy cognitive development. Survivors may have learned to believe that their perceptions were dismissed or invalidated, which makes trusting their instincts or decisions later in life more difficult.

▪️ In adulthood, they may question whether they’re interpreting situations accurately or if they’re just “overreacting” or “misunderstanding” like they were taught in the past.

4. Fear of Mistakes

▪️ People who were abused often fear making mistakes because the consequences are severe or unpredictable. This fear can prevent them from trying new things or trusting their own abilities. They might feel incompetent even when they are capable of succeeding.

5. Hypervigilance

▪️ Survivors of abuse often live in a state of hypervigilance, where they are constantly on edge as they are trying to predict or even prevent harm. This state of heightened awareness can lead them to question every action and decision, wondering if it’s the “right” one or if something will go wrong.

6. Imposter Syndrome

▪️ The survivor may feel like they are not deserving of their success or achievements. They might constantly feel like a fraud, believing that they’ll be “found out” as incompetent, despite evidence to the contrary.

 7. Self-Doubt and Anxiety

▪️ Trauma survivors are often prone to self-doubt and anxiety, which can cloud their ability to objectively evaluate their performance. Every mistake they may view as evidence of personal inadequacy, even if the mistake is minor or common.

8. Disrupted Attachment and Trust

▪️ Abuse in childhood disrupts attachment styles, and adults may struggle to build healthy, trusting relationships. This lack of trust in others can extend to not trusting themselves to navigate relationships or interactions successfully, making them question their competence.

(see our webpage on Attachment, for more information. www.LighthouseMHCounseling.com/attachments

9. Internalized Negative Beliefs

▪️Victims often have negative beliefs about themselves, that their abuser would say to them, such as “you’re not good enough” or “you’ll never succeed.” These internalized beliefs can persist into adulthood, making the individual constantly question their ability to succeed, trust their decisions, or have a clear perception of themselves.

The scars of abuse often create long-lasting effects on how the victim views themselves and their abilities.

1. Trauma-Informed Therapy

▪️ Our therapists are trained in trauma-informed care, ensuring that every step of your healing process respects the complex impact of your past experiences. We create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore your feelings and process your trauma from abuse, at your own pace.

▪️ We utilize a variety of modalities such as EMDR, IFS and TF-CBT

2. Building Self-Worth

▪️ Through compassionate guidance, we help you recognize your strengths, challenge negative beliefs, and empower you to trust your abilities once again and thus rebuilding your sense of self-worth and confidence.

3. Cognitive Behavioral Tools

▪️ To help you break free from the cycle of self-doubt and anxiety and build a more positive outlook, you will be given practical tools and coping strategies to help you reframe negative thinking patterns that were instilled in you!

▪️ We use modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

4. Creating Healthy Boundaries

▪️ Healing includes learning how to establish and maintain healthy boundaries. You will learn to recognize your needs and how to protect yourself emotionally and physically in relationships.

5. Ongoing Support and Community

▪️ Healing is a journey, not a destination. We offer ongoing support through individual therapy and community resources, to ensure that you have the connection and care you need as you continue to grow and recover.

We are committed to helping you feel safe, understood, and empowered as you navigate your healing process. 

 Whether someone has recently left an abusive situation or experienced abuse years ago, and is an adult survivor of child abuse, the trauma can feel fresh and deeply impact their life. At Lighthouse Counseling Services, we support clients in healing from the wounds of abuse, providing personalized therapeutic approaches to process past experiences, restore inner strength, and find lasting peace. Through compassionate care and collaborative healing, we empower individuals to reclaim their lives and move toward a brighter, more resilient future. 

See below for a therapist who can help ⬇️

Andrea Jones

Charlotte Marshall

Genevieve Simmons

Mica Denman

Aloisia Suliafu