Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome
can feel like waves crashing down
on your heart, mind, body and
spirit.
Your soul is drowning, and you don't know what to do!
As stated by Dr. David Reardon, "Abortion is not some magical surgery which turns back time to make a woman 'unpregnant'. Instead, it s a real-life event which is always very stressful and often traumatic". This trauma cannot always be solved by the woman herself. She may feel as if she's lost at sea or caught in the riptide of life.
So, what is
post-abortion stress syndrome?
PASS is a condition which can occur in both men and women after the abortion
experience, due to unresolved psychological, physical and spiritual aspects.
Symptoms are similar to those in any post traumatic stress disorder.
Basically it is the personal struggle to work through thoughts,
feelings about the abortion and previous pregnancy,
and the goal to come to peace with those involved in the
decision making process and ultimate loss of life.
Granted some men/women are better equipped to deal with the aftermath
of an abortion, but EVERYONE is changed by it!
As one woman quoted: "Once I laid on that table, I was never the same!"
Symptoms of
PASS may not appear all together.
Nor will each woman possess all of them.
If you find that you experience between 5-7 of the following emotions,
following an abortion, you might consider seeking
help for post abortion stress/trauma.
Note these symptoms may not surface for 5-20 years following the procedure.
Some of the most common feelings and emotional symptoms are listed below:
anger/rage - anguish - anxiety
betrayal - bitterness - confusion
depression - despair - distrust
eating disorders - emotionally numb
fears/dreams about losing a child
fears God's punishment - fears another pregnancy
fears inferior - fears infertility - fears failure
feels degraded - feels exploited
feels inferior - feels isolated / alienated
feel rejection
flashbacks, nightmares or sleep disorders
frustration - grief - guilt
helplessness - hopelessness - horror
loneliness - lowered self-esteem
panic
preoccupation with anniversary date or due date
remorse - regret - resentment
self-condemnation - self-destructive behaviors
self-hatred - sexual dysfunction
shame - sorrow
unable to forgive self
uncontrollable crying - unworthiness
***************
Women/men may also notice
behavior changes in their day to day life.
Some are listed below:
abusive behavior
alcohol and / or drug use
avoids baby reminders (like baby showers, baby stores, etc.)
changes in
relationship / marriage
(70% of relationships/marriages break up
within 1 year of an abortion, 90% within 5 years)
control issues
crying spells
difficulty in all types of intimacy
divides time into "before" and "after" the abortion
eating disorders
fails to bond with subsequent children
loss of interest in sex
loss of normal sources of pleasure
marital stress
need of financial success
over-protective of living children
promiscuity or frigidity
reduced motivation
secretive
self-punishing and / or self-degrading behavior
sleep disturbances
strained relationship with living children
suicidal impulses
tolerates abusive relationships
wants atonement / replacement child
withdrawn
Physical complications which can occur:
Breast Cancer
According to the
Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer
(www.abortionbreastcancer.com)
16 of 17 statistically significant studies
report increased risk of breast cancer
among women choosing an abortion.
Seven studies report a more than twofold increased risk.
Ectopic Pregnancy
There is evidence that abortion increases
the risk of ectopic pregnancies.
About 1 in every 200 pregnancies is ectopic,
and most are discovered in the first few months.
This type of pregnancy is life-threatening to the mother.
If
you have personally experienced some of these
behaviors and symptoms, you may be a candidate
for an abortion recovery program.
You can make PASS part of your past,
by simply acknowledging the emotions and
working through them.
If you choose not to acknowledge
the emotions,
believing that they don't exist,
you might THINK you don't have to deal with them.
But human emotional development freezes
at the level when the trauma took/takes place!
Don't get "stuck"... get help!
www.abortionrecoverycounseling.com
Click on
the Pictures Below
for more information and links to other helpful web-sites.
About Resources
If you are in the Prescott Arizona area, please contact me for more information!