Matt from Surviving My Past blog – the author is a self-avowed “adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, bullying, and narcissistic abuse” – has an emotional and powerfully-written article about perceptions of normal-ism and normal-ity in society, and the struggles of people who have been abused when confronted with those meanings and definitions.
The desire to feel normal, what a totally overrated concept. At least in my humble opinion it is. Isn’t that we strive for all too often in life though? We want to feel normal, we want to look, feel, and act like others who appear normal.
This way of thinking is a double edged sword for survivors, for a couple reasons. First, because for us what feels normal has not been healthy. We’ve known so much hurt, pain, and trauma in our lives that the normal feeling is less than desirable. I can most definitely relate to this and I’m betting that if you are reading this you might be able to relate as well.
When you experienced childhood sexual abuse, what feels normal to you is fear, anxiety, helplessness, and no self-esteem. Is that really any way to live? Of course not, but it’s what we know what we perceive as feeling normal.
