Lisanne

Lisanne, 23 and a student in Groningen, had a very unpleasant sexual experience several years ago. She was sexually abused. She struggled for a long time with her feelings of guilt and was scared to talk to others about what she had experienced. At one point she got stuck and decided to seek help. Via her general practitioner she came to iPractice Groningen.

“Several years ago I had a very unpleasant sexual experience. I was sexually abused.”

I was scared to talk about it for a very long time and blocked it. I kept it to myself for a long time.

“I blamed myself for what happened.”

For a long time I blamed myself for what happened. This made it even more difficult to talk about it with others. Eventually it took three years until I dared to talk openly about it.

“Not talking about it made processing harder.”

I was afraid of other people’s opinions. I didn’t dare to say it out loud. Not talking about it made processing difficult.

“At that point I thought, now is the time to do something about it.”

When I got into a relationship, I noticed that I didn’t dare to go for it fully. I could not open up and I did not feel good enough. My partner noticed this too. At that moment I thought: now is the time to do something about it.

“iPractice had no waiting list. I got help immediately.” 

I went to the GP and told him what happened. The GP gave me a referral for the psychologist. iPractice had no waiting list. I got help immediately.

“I recommend the blended care method of iPractice to everyone.” 

I recommend the blended care method of iPractice to everyone. There is so much happening between the appointments. You can share this with iPractice right away in the chat. If you send something, you have feedback from a psychologist within a day. You can also read things back. The online part really added value for me.

“Psychologist used EMDR for trauma treatment”

During the physical appointments, the psychologist used EMDR as a trauma treatment. This helped me to process the negative experiences. I found this quite tough. The treatment lasted six months in total.

“Since I told a friend, I talk more easily about my feelings”

The psychologist instructed me to choose someone close to me to tell about the sexual abuse. Someone who felt familiar. I told a friend. Since she knows, I find it easier to talk about my feelings. She now knows the whole story.

“Don’t blame yourself!” 

During treatment, I learned to accept the sexual abuse. I can now admit that it happened and I no longer blame myself. If someone crosses your boundaries uninvited, don’t blame yourself!

Looking for help?
Have you gone through a similar experience? Don’t hesitate to seek help. Call 085-0131245 and get personal advice. Or fill out the contact form here.