Abuse can be experienced by people from all walks of life: men, women, children, and the elderly. Whether it happened in childhood, school, work, or adult relationships, it can have devastaing affects such as:
difficulty forming or maintaining positive relationships
being unable to work
Abuse can be physical, emotional, mental, sexual, financial, and even cyber in nature. Any treatment by another or others that causes harm, emotional disturbance, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, fear, disempowerment, confusion, or self-loathing is a form of abuse.
Seeking help can be fraught with fear and anxiety, particularly if you've never talked about it before. Sharing your experiences of abuse with a therapist you've grown to trust can greatly help you on your way to releasing some of the natural feelings of shame, guilt or powerlessness that you may be feeling.