support groups for people who were abused / molested as a child.

freethesoul

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone knew if there were any support groups for people, who were molested / abused when they were younger, in Dublin (or anywhere else in the country if someone around the country might be reading this and wondering too)?

I was reading a book, it has helped me a lot but it was issued in the US, and they were saying there were lots of support groups out there. It seemed like they were groups kind of like the AA where people could talk freely about their experiences and thought I'd love to go to one and hear other peoples stories and tell mine, sharing eases the pain/shame/fear. It would help me to discuss my experiences and thoughts with others who were in the similar situation. I've looked (maybe not extensively enough!) but couldn't find one.

Personally, this is an issue I've only become aware of in the past couple of years. I'm 25 now and seemed to have blocked it out until around 2 years ago, a few months after I got into my first serious relationship. I followed a lot of the same traits that people who have been molested do, but didn't cop on to it until I finally let someone into my world. I'm only just discovering that a lot of the personality traits that I have are due to this:

• trust issues - like finding it hard to have intimite relationships - cutting of boyfriends and friends when they become close because I fear they may get to know the "real me" and be disapointed.

• having a deep rooted feeling of fear and shame - but not knowing where it comes from.

• Feeling like I have a "split personality" - I have the outward one that everyone sees, the happy sucessful or happy one that everyone thinks is great, and the real me, the one I think I really am, and it's not as good but don't want anyone to know. there's self esteeme issues there (pointing out the fact this is different than the split personality mental disorder)

• started to drift away from my family because I felt angry they weren't there for me and didn't protect me from the abuse.

• creating "perfection" goals for aspects of my life, over achiever in certain ways and created the "correct" way I should behave with people and how things should be done.

• Always a very strong independant person, yet before I discovered the truth, had fits of crying without knowing the reason.

Those are not the only ones, there are many more but some of the ones I've had major dealings with.

I've set up a new username so I wouldn't have to go private and people could PM me if they're in a similar situation to me and would like to talk. I would like to find a support group where we could talk face to face, as I feel that would really help me and others get over the "shame"(inverted brackets because it's nothing to be shameful about, it just how it made me/ us feel - I know the ironry about going private but at the moment I'm still working through it) part of it by getting it out in the open.

I'm still really coming to terms with this, in a way I'd love to confront the person who did it, but it was my oldest brother, someone our family have always have issues with, so at the moment think it's not a good idea.

So please:

* reply if you've been / go to a good support group that you feel is secure and safe.
Thanks.

Nevyn

Both 1 in 4 and the rape crises centre run a range of groups, I have provided links to them below.

http://www.oneinfour.org/support/
http://www.oneinfour.org/services/grouptherapy/startdates/

http://www.drcc.ie/services/counsel.htm
http://www.drcc.ie/services/group.htm

freethesoul

Thaedydal wrote: »

Both 1 in 4 and the rape crises centre run a range of groups, I have provided links to them below.

http://www.oneinfour.org/support/
http://www.oneinfour.org/services/grouptherapy/startdates/

http://www.drcc.ie/services/counsel.htm
http://www.drcc.ie/services/group.htm

Thanks a million, that's exactly what I was looking for.