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The Shame about Shame
Does this Image Trigger You?
Easy to say, isn’t it?
As I watched the film based on the novel, Shame stood out, looming large throughout. Luckiest Girl Alive is a 2015 New York Times Bestselling mystery novel written by the American author Jessica Knoll.
When it comes to sexual abuse, trauma is trauma. Inherent shame, in many cases, comes from the fear of loss of privacy if exposed, fear of what people will think, fear of consequences, blaming oneself, lack of confidence to speak out. In fact, shame is a very painful emotion, it involves worthlessness, feelings of self condemnation and failure.
Child sexual abuse is even more complex and more often than not, takes years, if not decades to expose. Children, in their innocence, don’t know what is going on, only that it doesn’t feel right. They are often groomed, threatened if they tell and it gets worse when it happens within a family system. The silence that follows creates a very toxic existence with detrimental consequences.
That is the shame about Shame
It is a very intricate emotion, difficult to pinpoint and in most cases, live with. It is important to know that it isn’t your fault. Though you may be stripped of your worth, you can get it back. Once you do, you can choose to expose the…
