Most of my life has been
spent bouncing off one wall or another. Never sure of what I wanted or what my
role in this existence was. No surprise with hindsight considering the D.I.D I
suppose. I wanted to do several things, but the trouble was I seemed to want
them at the same time. Part of me also got bored very easily and didn’t want
what I thought I wanted. Makes sense? No? Try living it.
My indecisiveness,
obsessiveness and "mood swings" probably made a lot of people
unhappy, or just plain angry... I am deeply sorry if that was the case.
Mine was/is a mental
illness born out of a primeval need to survive. The term mental illness scares
a lot of people, in others the sufferer is seen as an object of ridicule and
derision. My mind fractured in order to preserve the whole. By becoming many,
as in a herd, if a few were lost or damaged the main herd survived.
Thanks to some amazing
therapists and the love and unflinching support of my family I can now live an
almost "normal" life. Getting to know other survivors has also been a life
changing experience. Knowing that I was not alone; that I wasn't to blame
strengthened my resolve.
There is life after abuse,
maybe not always perfect, but whose life is..
Becoming Beyond Survivor
has not been easy, but it's a place and person I'm very proud to be. I cannot
change or undo what was done to me, but I can put it into perspective most of
the time now. By into perspective I mean in the past.
There are still those who
share a tie of blood with me that wish me ill, that still cause grief when they
can. Those people don't matter to me,, they are of no consequence.
The demons that I have
lived with have left their mark, but they rarely bother me now. When they do I
have the knowledge, the power and the tools to deal with them.
So often in the past I
hated being alive, dreading each day. Being in the dark about what was
"wrong" made it much worse. I hated who I was, eventually risking my
own health with my behavior and piling on weight in order to protect myself.
Eighteen years ago I
collapsed at work, in agony with back pain. I was eventually diagnosed with
spina bifida occulta. At the time I was working two jobs and living a very busy
life.
In my twenties I took care
of myself, kept myself fit and trim. After the diagnosis at twenty eight I sort
of fell to pieces. Back then I was unaware of the D.I.D etc, but with hindsight
I can see I was also mentally all over the place. My weight almost doubled over
a year or two; I drank heavily and generally didn't care. I became deeply
depressed, suicidal, and was prescribed Prozac and after that caused bad
reactions sleeping pills and other antidepressants.
I've always known that I'd
been abused as a child, a few memories not hidden by my sub conscience. The
childhood abuse went on for over a decade. The memory of a later rape in my mid
teens came back to me in my late twenties but I tried to downplay it.
I didn't know until my
early forties the extent of the abuse. By that time my health was a disaster
area, my weight was still very unhealthy and I still drank too much. Today I'm
on a diet. I don't drink much and I've started exercising.
My mental health has improved beyond
recognition so it's now time to get the rest of me sorted.
Oh... And I'm writing
again!
I'm a survivor of childhood
sexual abuse. I'm a male survivor! Today I thrive.
I want to live.
I want to be healthy. I deserve to.
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