ABSTRACT

So far in this book we have used our knowledge of child development to help us understand what can happen when your childhood has been affected by sexual abuse. We looked in detail at how sexual abuse can reshape the emotional `map' of the world that you carry with you into adulthood. We have also seen that the after-effects of childhood sexual abuse are probably as varied as the human ®ngerprint. There is no `standard' response. With this as our starting point, we can now begin to move on and think about ways in which things can be changed so that your life can begin to take a different course.