Healing sexual abuse
May 15, 1996
Q: (Sexual abuse, continued) You told
compensation like expression of negative feelings is not
actually necessary in the process of healing of sexual abuse. If the
victim is not ready to adopt any spiritual practices like meditation, what
would be the right approach by the
therapist to go into? The compensation therapy seems to bring good results
in many cases, but are they only temporary?
When a person has suffered a severe trauma such as the sexual abuse, it is very important that the person undergo some type of treatment to alleviate that suffering. What is best when the person has been accosted in this way is that they undergo therapeutic treatment that is designed to sublimate these feelings into a more noble pursuit, so that the anger, the guilt, all of the emotional poisons which are created due to the damage done to the mind should not devour the person and their life. In order that this does not happen, it is important that the person find proper outlet for their expression, that is to say, something noble, something greater than themselves, which they can see as an ideal. Perhaps it would be to serve others who have been molested or to do a project for the community, or if possible, to do sadhana. These are the best treatments. But if a person cannot find a proper outlet for their expression and they want assistance, then they may do these therapies, and perhaps they will get some benefit. But to stabilize this beneficial result they will have to change their lives, so that it is not an expression of these poisonous emotions, but a constructive life dedicated to the service and welfare of living beings. This life of service has many benefits, for it purifies the mind, and all of the aberrations in the mental development get channeled into a higher pursuit and more noble expression. That way the personīs life is not wasted in merely expressing the reactions to the unfortunate experience. It maybe there is a wound in their capacity to be in meaningful relationships or to love others, but as they continue to serve the society, to feel empathy for other human beings and their suffering, they will move outside themselves and become aware of others. And when this happens, the love will grow and the reaction subside. For they will see that their own guilt, that their own anger, their own fear is very small, for there are many people and those people also suffer. This is the most beneficial treatment for this type of dramatic experience. But these therapies may also be of assistance. All right?