You can definitely have better self-esteem. No question, sexual abuse damages your good feelings about yourself as much as it damages trust. But, if you choose a psychotherapist who specializes in sexual abuse and understands not only its conscious effects but also what you can’t know about yourself, you can learn to trust and you can feel lovable.
How Sexual Abuse Can Affect Self Esteem & How To Change That – Sandra E. Cohen, Ph.D. (sandracohenphd.com)
This means working out all the ways it’s difficult to trust.
And, the ways that distrust will inevitably find its way into therapy. You need a therapist that first helps you build trust by understanding all the ways you can’t and don’t.
A therapist that then creates a space where you can safely explore and work out your self-blame, feelings of shame, and the fears that anyone you get close to is a molester.
