Rape is a sexual violation and a sexual violation is the most intimate and arguably the most profound of all violations that a human being could experience.   Sexual abuse, in any form, is traumatic and often confusing for the victims.  Individuals, who are traumatized, especially at the hands of others, require support, understanding, and validation for what they are experiencing and trying to overcome.  Unfortunately for the victims of sexual abuse, there is often a cloak of silence surrounding these issues, making receiving support and validation a difficult task. The Truth - For many individuals, profound traumatic experiences result in painful existential searching.  Victims may find themselves preoccupied with difficult questions about existence, good and evil, justice and fairness, spiritual beliefs, faith, and God.   Many will and have questioned the very foundation of beliefs they have built their lives upon to this point.  This questioning can lead to a sense of being lost and adrift with nothing to trust or believe in.  Recovery will be dramatically affected by how well these issues are resolved for the victim. Victims frequently ask questions and struggle with issues that will be discussed at length in this section.  The inability, or reluctance, to seek support and validation makes recovery especially difficult for mostr individuals.  Over the years, religious communities have been reluctant to broach these topics or help with dealing. The responsibility of ministers and church leaders is great.  Religious leaders are often seen as the “mouthpiece of God” and have tremendous power and influence with believers and even to some degree with non-believers.   Your reactions are normal and we can tell you for a fact that It’s not your fault BUT we are here to help you!!!