Do survivors of child abuse suffer from nightmares and flashbacks for their whole lives?...........?

Question

.........or can they totally heal?

Answer 1

No one "totally heals" from any kind of abuse, or any major trauma, for that matter.

Those who suffer from nightmares, flashbacks, or any other symptom that interferes with their lives have Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PMSD), which can be treated.

Answer 2

Yes, survivors of child abuse so suffer from nigttmares and flashback but does not have to be for their whole lives. They can heal to some degree if not totally. No matter how much we try to prevent child abuse it happen in many forms. Some can be extreme and the duration can be a factor in helping the healing process. We have all been exposed to it in many forms. You must rise from it and think I am bigger than what happened to me. Don't let it hold on to you by being nagative and even repeating the same thing. Remember how you hated it and think noone must go through this. Go back in time to the child you were and think how you would have protected that child. Cry for her and tell her/him it not his/her fault. The positive flashbacks ensures that you protect your own children and other since you are aware of it. You can recognise the situation and use what you know to teach those who are vulnerable. Remember abuse comes in all forms. sexual, physical, intellectual, emotional, psychological, neglect, needs such as food. Sadly while others may use it to their advantage in a positive manner others will infortunately use it as an excuse to continue the chain. So it really depends on the pschological make up of the person and to what extent the damage had been done. No one has the right to hurt children. They are so little people who need our protection and pure unconditional love. There is a book entitled 'The Boy call It perhaps you will like to read it and see how the power of the human needs to survive can outshine all others. The incredible love he gave to his own child was amazing and brings tears to my eyes. He was able to love and not repeat the abuse to his own child.

Answer 3

I can't answer for those who were abused by their parents. I was sexually abused by certain family members, like an uncle and others, and I do still think about it and have an occasional nightmare. I have learned to deal with it and it doesn't have the hold on me that it once did. I realize it is in the past and there is nothing that can be done to change it. If that is healing, then I guess I've healed. But you don't forget, ever.

Answer 4

No they generally dont heal what tends to hppen is that the memory is supressed as the mind and body cant cope with it, so a child may grow into and adult live happily until there is a que recall that is to say trigger of the memory. The is a case of a child rape victim, when she had a relationship and had sex the man covered her mouth innocently but because this happened when she was younger the memory triggered and she freaked out. i dont think nyone can fully recover only deal with it the best they can

Answer 5

Depends on a lot of factors within people.
How they deal with the s*it with in their lives now and in past, getting over the feeling are the first steps to healing but never heal just learn to deal your way. (talking about it helps) Never your fault,you were a child

Answer 6

Interesting you don't call it victims ...
Everytime i hear a parent knock a childs self-esteem i relive. Acceptance helps the healing process. Society as a whole can not accept i refuse to be treated as a victim. So i will probably never heal totally.

Answer 7

I agree with a lot of answers and my heart goes out to any one that has experienced that.

trai and moon_kd have excellent answers and to further add---our cerebrum stores everything that we have ever been exposed to---even subliminally. Once you experience something traumatic, we automatically develop what we call a psycho-neurotic behavior pattern that is trapped in our subconscious. It can be treated by several methods, but never healed totally. Primal Scream by Arthur Janov 1974 is a different approach. A hypnotist would probably work better if they can succeed in making a person "forget".

Answer 8

In most cases, these horrible memories are repressed in the consciousness but they still cause problems such as phobias and traumas. Some people never recover from these experiences and the memories haunt them for life. But if you talk about healing, there isn't a standard time span for one to heal from tragic experiences because it depends on the individual's personal strength and his/her determination to overcome such experience. External factors, such as moral support from friends and family, being comfortable in his/her environment, can help eliminate a person's fear from past experiences, forget bad memories and make way to moving on.

Answer 9

Not all the time, periodically they come back an its like there right there.

The minds a funnie one with abuse, I believe it brings things back when your ready to deal with them.

Well thats what I tell myself anyway. I don't think you ever completely heal but you learn how to stop it effecting you.

Answer 10

well iwas abused when i was a child and im not gonna deny that this thing has really affected my life and my way of thinking about many stuff but im like any other one,i have bad and good dreams....mmmmmmmmm and no flashbacks but im considering going to a therapist i think that this wi help me a lot