|
|
|
|
- Do you find yourself struggling to
turn off feelings connected to your abortion(s), perhaps telling yourself over
and over again to forget about it?
- Do you find yourself avoiding books,
magazines and television programs that deal with the subject of
abortion?
- Are you affected by physical
reminders of your abortion (babies, pregnant women, etc.)?
- Are you uncomfortable around
children?
- Are there certain times of the year
you find yourself depressed, sick or accident prone-especially around the
anniversary date of the abortion or the due date of the aborted
pregnancy?
- Are you resentful and unforgiving
towards anyone because of his or her involvement in your abortion(s)-parents,
boyfriend, abortionist, friends, or husband?
- Are you in a situation where you
could find yourself faced with another unwanted pregnancy?
- Do you have trouble with emotional
intimacy since your abortion?
- Have you experienced periods of
prolonged depression since your abortion? Have you had any suicidal
thoughts?
- Have you experienced any peculiar
occurrences relating to the abortion experience, such as nightmares about
babies, flashbacks, or hallucinations (for example, hearing a baby
cry)?
- Are you able to talk about abortion?
When choosing to share about your abortion(s), are you overcome with strong
feelings?
- If you have children now, do you
smother them with your love or overprotect them? Are you unable to bond with
the children you now have?
- If you do not have children, do you
fear that you will never be able to have them (either because of physical harm
resulting from the abortion or because God won't allow you)?
- Do you tend to look at your life in
terms of "before" and "after" the abortion(s)? Has your self-concept
changed?
- Have you found yourself preoccupied
with thoughts of your aborted child?
- Did your relationship to or concept
of God change after your abortion? How?
If you have experienced an abortion and
answered "yes" to any one of these questions, you may be experiencing
Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS). PAS is a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
which develops when a person is unable to work through their emotional responses
resulting from the trauma of an abortion. The grief and loss they may feel
after the abortion is seldom acknowledged but often repressed or denied. It may
have been many years since you had your abortion, but the sense of loss and
guilt still weighs heavy on your heart. You are not alone. Millions of men and
women, like yourself unknowingly suffer from Post-abortion Syndrome. PAS may
occur within a few months following an abortion, or it may surface many years
later.
Many men and women are afraid or embarrassed to discuss their experiences. It
is a lonely, empty feeling. You are not alone, however, and healing is possible. It
begins by overcoming denial when letting your feelings surface, and talking
through your experience with others who understand your pain. Then you will be
able to accept forgiveness, give forgiveness, overcome your pain and begin to
heal.
Call Barbara at the Pregnancy Resource Center of Southwest Oklahoma
about free and confidential counseling and support groups at
580-536-4040 (M-Th. 9-5;). Or email rita.willoughby@prcswok.org
|
©2008 Pregnancy Resource Center of Southwest Oklahoma, All rights reserved.
You may email us with any comments or questions, or call 580-536-4040. | Full Contact Info.
|
|
