Thoughts to Ponder
When you know that what you're doing is right, nothing will be able to stop you. When you are absolutely convinced of the true value of your efforts, you'll have the courage and the persistence to see them through. To believe in what you're doing is not just important. It is everything.
Anything less cannot possibly succeed. For any accomplishments you reach while living a lie will ultimately be of no value.
It is not always easy to live true to your highest values, true to your authentic self, true to what you know is right. Yet it is always your best choice.
When you deny what you know is right in order to follow the expediency of the moment, the benefits you gain are trivial and fleeting. Choose instead to live each moment true to the highest values you know.
Then, who you become will be the fulfillment of who you truly are. Why would you ever want to be anything less? —Ralph Marston
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The Effect of Rape on One's Sex Life The aftereffects with respect to the survivor's sexuality are immediate. The survivor has the surreal sense that his or her body does not belong to him or her, because his or her body is the ground on which this insidius battle took place. Touch is no longer experienced as affection, but as a violation for the survivor. Touch ceases to create a bond or reassurance or soothing--it hurts and confuses the survivor. Sex now feels 'dirty' as the act of rape felt. Survivors sometimes have a strong aversion to (or need for) particular sex acts; feeling betrayed by one's body; trouble integrating sexuality and emotionality; confusion or overlapping of affection, sex, dominance, aggression and violence. The survivor may have a strong urge to express sexuality through
pursuing power in the sexual arena that is sexual acting out (self-abuse
and manipulation, especially among women; abuse of others, especially
among men): compulsively 'seductive' or compulsively a sexual; 'must
be sexual aggressor or cannot be; impersonal; 'promiscous;' sex
with strangers concurrent with inability to have sex in intimate
relationships (conflict between sex and caring). Some survivors
may become prosititutes, strippers, 'sex symbol,' porn actress;
sexual acting out to meet anger or revenge needs; 'sexaholism,'
avoidance' shutdown, crying after orgasm; all pursuit feels like
violation; sexualizing of meaningful relationships; erotic response
to abuse or anger; sexual fantasies of dominance or rape. |
