An all or nothing. tw: rape
Greetings,
i'm having an ordeal deciding if revisiting a location ive been raped in ,would cure the spontaneous depression i've been going throught.
a little bit of back story : when i was a 10 year old boy , i was blackmailed by some 15 year olds for sexual favours , which lasted for about 3 months in total. eventually theyve been exposed and legally dealt with. and i got over it COMPLETELY. meaning i seeked medical attention ive been to therapy , ive recieved medication and stopped medication) i later joined the army.
the issue im having is , for so long , i rarely developed an interest in ANYTHING ,and im almost 20 this year , which really begs the question of wtf is really going on? what i did notice about this dazzling situation is:
1- i seem to be solely interested/still am with things ive liked before the incident ( i like motorcross dirtbikes , some old pokemon games , and a certain crush)
2-anything post-incident is either thrown , or simply lost interest in a remarkable amount of time (a week at max)
3-post-incident i've become a former shell of myself(cant recall HOW i was exactly, since i was 10 lol) ,meaning amongst a group of friends , im exceptionally good at listening to others , which makes you a really good crying cornerstone + im quite reserved, and colourless(either due to a lack of personality , or this is my natural one , not sure) which basically makes me go well with ALOT of ppl , the bad , the good , and shy , the bully. there really isnt no 1 i dont go exceptionally well with ( i honeslty find that bizarre)
its worth mentioning: people usually are polite when im around ,even to each other, as if there is a certain pressure i exert when im around .-.
The thing is now , Im getting sudden attacks of growing depression , FOR NO REASON. i do not have 1 reason to be depressed , but i still wake up every day seeing 23 shades of black filtered through my eyes as i carry on my day.
confused by this growing depression , i talked to someone over the internet anonymously. (not that reliable of a source , but hey hear me out.) He suggested i re visit the location ive been raped in , and just sit there for a bit. (its a place just over the hill)
The interesting thing is , IM ACTUALLY LEGIT SCARED OF VISITING THAT PLACE , even though no one is around and there is nothing exactly terrifying about it , but there it is , the feeling of sudden doom to describe it more exactly. And this makes me want to visit it even more , given my subconscious is making me scared shitless for no apparent reason.
i can personally pull it off , but i wanted to check in here for some feedback from professionals regarding this method , because im afraid it might revive some even worse burried memories i might have forgotten , and i end up actually f*cking myself.
your feedback is highly appreciated.
@FuzzyFeeling
I'm not a professional, but I really feel like you deserve a well-thought out reply.
Judging by how scared you are by the thought of revisiting the scene, I think you should do it. You need closure. You have already come so far, and aside from the pain of the past, you seem to have a good life. Taking that last step of revisiting it would give you new strength. It will reassure you that the nightmarish part of your life is over, and that you truly have entered a new life.
I think it is time for you to revisit, so you can officially let go of the anchor you have held on to for so long.
@FuzzyFeeling
First off thank you so much for reaching out! I want you to know that doing so has shown a lot of courage. I am really proud of you! I am not a professional by any means, but I have had a lot of hard experiences in my life. I was in an abusive relationship for almost a year and there were a lot of places where "things" happened that I refused to return to after we broke up. I didn't talk about or confront any of the things that reminded me of the hurt and heart break I had felt. I becamee very sick and was so unhappy. I finally had to confront the places where the abuse had taken place, as well as talk to people about it. It was so so scary at the time, but it was worth it. It made me realize that the places did not hurt me, it was the people at the places who had hurt me, if that makes sense. You are not alone.
If you would like some ongoing support please feel free to connect with a trained listener here! There are many that would love to talk with you and assist on your healing journey!
Take care friend, Karina