"Of all the judgments we pass in life, none is more important than the judgment we pass on ourselves."
(Nathaniel Branden)

The life-long journey into self-esteem is one of the most important journeys that survivors take, and often self-esteem plays a major role in the aftermath of a traumatic experience like rape and sexual abuse.
To have your reality crumble hurts. Feelings of worthlessness are a very common response to threatening and fearful memories. During the healing process of a rape and sexual abuse, many survivors undergo a dramatic reality shift and ultimately see life and themselves drastically different than before.

Why these feelings?

Feelings of worthlessness often occur because survivors may believe that they had something taken away from them; a certain value or an innocence that they believe has been misplaced or completely lost.
The self-doubt comes from believing that they are somehow responsible for the assault, or that they should have been able to stop it..... In order words, “that they got what they deserved".

Rape and Sexual abuse are acts of violence against a person's body and soul. Victims are not responsible for what another person has chosen to do.
Putting the pieces back together is a long journey, and learning to let go of the guilt and to love themselves again is the ultimate challenge that survivors of rape and sexual abuse face. In this challenge, self-esteem is like the lost piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is needed to make sense of the whole.

Always remember:

You are NOT alone.

You are NOT to blame.

Help is available.