Research suggests that 1 in 6 males experience sexual abuse in their lifetime. Given the fact that men tend to underreport experiences of victimization, the statistical occurrence of male sexual abuse may in fact be more pervasive.
Regardless, male childhood sexual abuse is destructive. It is perpetrated by both men and women. While victimization does occur at the hands of strangers, most child sexual abuse is perpetrated by a person or persons that the boy knows. This includes parents, caregivers, older siblings, uncles or aunts, neighbors or family friends, teachers and other trusted adults such as clergy, teachers or coaches. One thing is certain: childhood sexual abuse has a debilitating and life-long impact on boys and the men they become.
Male survivors of childhood sexual abuse often enter into therapy describing long standing struggles with trust and boundaries, confusion regarding their sexuality, body-shame and dysmorphia, depression and/or anxiety, eating disorders and difficulties forming or maintaining emotionally intimate relationships. Some survivors also struggle with addictive or compulsive behaviors including drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, high-risk or dangerous sexual behaviors, pornography/masturbation addiction, etc. Others feel disconnected from their sexuality, may struggle finding pleasure or difficulty performing, and long for a renewed and enlivened sexual self.
Survivors may also have difficulty feeling or experiencing emotions and experience bouts of dissociation, feeling detached from their body or a lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, experiences or identity. Others suffer with moments of extreme emotional dysregulation, feeling hijacked by out-of-control emotions, urges or behaviors. Some men begin treatment because they feel that they hate themselves and want more from life than self-loathing.
Philip has extensive experience working therapeutically to help male survivors heal from histories of childhood sexual abuse. At a titrated, compassion-focused pace, Philip assists clients to improve their relationship with their sexually exploited pasts with an aim toward healing and an authentic, confident sense of self. These transformations often bear fruits of self-confidence, passion for life, an improved relationship with clients’ bodies and sexuality, and greater overall satisfaction with relationships. Life becomes easier.
Some helpful resources for male survivors of child sexual abuse:
1in6.org
MaleSurvivor.com
Rainn.org
Victim No More: The Classic Guide For Men Recovering From Sexual Child Abuse by Mike Lew
Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge Of Your Life After Boyhood Sexual Abuse by Richard B. Gardner
Silently Seduced: When Parents Make Their Children Partners by Kenneth M. Adams
Regardless, male childhood sexual abuse is destructive. It is perpetrated by both men and women. While victimization does occur at the hands of strangers, most child sexual abuse is perpetrated by a person or persons that the boy knows. This includes parents, caregivers, older siblings, uncles or aunts, neighbors or family friends, teachers and other trusted adults such as clergy, teachers or coaches. One thing is certain: childhood sexual abuse has a debilitating and life-long impact on boys and the men they become.
Male survivors of childhood sexual abuse often enter into therapy describing long standing struggles with trust and boundaries, confusion regarding their sexuality, body-shame and dysmorphia, depression and/or anxiety, eating disorders and difficulties forming or maintaining emotionally intimate relationships. Some survivors also struggle with addictive or compulsive behaviors including drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, high-risk or dangerous sexual behaviors, pornography/masturbation addiction, etc. Others feel disconnected from their sexuality, may struggle finding pleasure or difficulty performing, and long for a renewed and enlivened sexual self.
Survivors may also have difficulty feeling or experiencing emotions and experience bouts of dissociation, feeling detached from their body or a lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, experiences or identity. Others suffer with moments of extreme emotional dysregulation, feeling hijacked by out-of-control emotions, urges or behaviors. Some men begin treatment because they feel that they hate themselves and want more from life than self-loathing.
Philip has extensive experience working therapeutically to help male survivors heal from histories of childhood sexual abuse. At a titrated, compassion-focused pace, Philip assists clients to improve their relationship with their sexually exploited pasts with an aim toward healing and an authentic, confident sense of self. These transformations often bear fruits of self-confidence, passion for life, an improved relationship with clients’ bodies and sexuality, and greater overall satisfaction with relationships. Life becomes easier.
Some helpful resources for male survivors of child sexual abuse:
1in6.org
MaleSurvivor.com
Rainn.org
Victim No More: The Classic Guide For Men Recovering From Sexual Child Abuse by Mike Lew
Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge Of Your Life After Boyhood Sexual Abuse by Richard B. Gardner
Silently Seduced: When Parents Make Their Children Partners by Kenneth M. Adams