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Answer by Dr. Laura
PhD Mental Health Nurse & Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
Thank you for your courage in sharing your story and the complex emotions you're grappling with. It's clear that this childhood experience has weighed heavily on you. Your feelings of guilt and anxiety are valid. Discovering the term child-on-child sexual abuse (COCSA) can bring up painful memories, worries, and fears, but it's important to approach your situation with nuance and self-compassion.
Curiosity and sexual experimentation are a normal part of child development. Children often mimic or reenact behaviors they've been exposed to, without fully comprehending the implications. While some instances of childhood sexual experimentation can be considered COCSA, it's important to understand that harm is determined by those who experience it. Without direct communication from the other children involved, it would be difficult to speculate about the impact on them. It's possible that they, like your siblings, do not feel negatively affected by these experiences.
Your mother's perspective that this was experimentation is a common viewpoint, as many adults recognize that children's sexual behavior exists on a spectrum and doesn't always equate to abuse. However, it's equally important to validate your own emotions and experiences. If you're struggling with guilt and anxiety related to these memories, your feelings deserve to be acknowledged and addressed.
Healing from complex childhood experiences is a highly individualized journey. It's not uncommon for people to have conflicting emotions and to grapple with shame related to their role in past events. I encourage you to seek the support of a therapist who specializes in childhood trauma and development. They can provide a safe, non-judgmental space to process your emotions, work through the guilt, and develop a plan forward.
Remember, your worth as a person is not defined by your childhood actions or experiences. You have the capacity to heal, grow, and lead a fulfilling life. Be patient and compassionate with yourself as you navigate this process.
You deserve to find peace and self-forgiveness. Reach out to a trusted professional, lean on your support system, and know that you have the strength within you to move forward. Thank you again for this question.
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Grounding activity
Find a comfortable place to sit. Gently close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths - in through your nose (count to 3), out through your mouth (count of 3). Now open your eyes and look around you. Name the following out loud:
5 – things you can see (you can look within the room and out of the window)
4 – things you can feel (what is in front of you that you can touch?)
3 – things you can hear
2 – things you can smell
1 – thing you like about yourself.
Take a deep breath to end.
From where you are sitting, look around for things that have a texture or are nice or interesting to look at.
Hold an object in your hand and bring your full focus to it. Look at where shadows fall on parts of it or maybe where there are shapes that form within the object. Feel how heavy or light it is in your hand and what the surface texture feels like under your fingers (This can also be done with a pet if you have one).
Take a deep breath to end.
Ask yourself the following questions and answer them out loud:
1. Where am I?
2. What day of the week is today?
3. What is today’s date?
4. What is the current month?
5. What is the current year?
6. How old am I?
7. What season is it?
Take a deep breath to end.
Put your right hand palm down on your left shoulder. Put your left hand palm down on your right shoulder. Choose a sentence that will strengthen you. For example: “I am powerful.” Say the sentence out loud first and pat your right hand on your left shoulder, then your left hand on your right shoulder.
Alternate the patting. Do ten pats altogether, five on each side, each time repeating your sentences aloud.
Take a deep breath to end.
Cross your arms in front of you and draw them towards your chest. With your right hand, hold your left upper arm. With your left hand, hold your right upper arm. Squeeze gently, and pull your arms inwards. Hold the squeeze for a little while, finding the right amount of squeeze for you in this moment. Hold the tension and release. Then squeeze for a little while again and release. Stay like that for a moment.
Take a deep breath to end.