Trouble sleeping is one of the most common problems that
survivors have reported in my conversations with them over the
years. Sleeping
difficulty is listed as one of the common symptoms of
sexually abused children and Rape
Trauma Syndrome. In addition, sleep disturbance is listed as
one of the symptoms in a number of conditions commonly
experienced by survivors, including:
Coping with flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks, new memories,
conflicting emotions, dissociation, lowered self-esteem,
depression, and other consequences of child abuse, domestic
violence and sexual assault is very stressful! Worse, many
survivors have learned no skills to help them cope. Our Coping Kit is designed
to help survivors build the skills they need to help them cope with
some of the common challenges facing survivors. The first skill in
this series is breathing.
If you are having a flashback, and you know that this is happening, try
some things on this list. If one doesn't help, go on to another. They
are all designed to break a trance state and to get you back in touch
with the present.
Tips for containing a flashbac:
Blink hard. Blink again. Do it once more as hard as you can.
