Hi again teencentral. I have dissociative amnesia(and a lot of other stuff…) so it’s hard for me to remember traumatic things in my life.. but recently I remembered being sexually assaulted as a child. I tried to call RAINN, but I got scared and hung up as soon as someone started talking. I have a therapist, but it’s hard to talk to her about it. How do you even talk about something like that? I always get embarrassed and clam up. Last year I got put in a lot of psych hospitals and I wouldn’t shut up about my problems at school until I stayed in the consulers office every day. I didn’t finish the school year because of hospitalizations, and schools on Tuesday and I’m scared. I’m scared, scared, scared. About everything.
Help Yourself:
- Thank you for reaching out to us again at TeenCentral! Sometimes it can be difficult to talk about sensitive and traumatizing events in our lives. These topics tend to make us feel uncomfortable and even scared. Sometimes we can’t find the words because that is just how our brains work with trauma, or maybe because we don’t know how to start the conversations.
- You said that you have a therapist, that is amazing! I am sure they understand how this can be difficult for you to talk about. You can always start slow and tell them that you recently remembered something from your past that you would like to talk about, but that you are having a hard time finding the words and also that you are feeling scared. They may be able to help figure out ways to get it out and help you process and work through this new memory.
- You recounted how you talked a lot about what was going on in your life last year at school and spent a lot of your time in the counselor’s office, did you talk to your counselor about these things as well? Are you comfortable with them? If so that would be a good start if you still find it difficult with your therapist. How about any of your family members? Do you have any older family members that you can go to about these things? They may help in you feeling safe when discussing these thoughts and memories.
- When you called RAINN you said that you got scared and hung up as soon as someone started talking, how do you feel about texting someone? If you are more comfortable with that consider texting the word HELLO to 741741. That is the text message line for Crisistextline.org.
Consider This:
- It sounds like you are a bit familiar with our website, if you haven’t already, take some time to explore each section and resources listed. You can start with the Tools tab. Here you will find all kinds of information but consider starting with the Social Skills and Support Plan sections. These are great tools to help with preparing yourself for these conversations and developing your plan and who is a part of your support system.
- What do you do with your free time? Do you like reading, writing? How about singing, dancing, or listening/writing music? All of these are great options to occupy your time and stimulate your brain.
- Under the Learn tab, you will find the Wellness section. Here you can learn all about Being Active, Nutrition, and Relaxation and how all of these things help our minds and help with healing. After reading here, consider going back to the Tools tab and check out the activities for Yoga, Aerobic Running, and Strength Training to get you started.
