Celebrate Recovery Welcome Home Groups are a safe place for veterans and their family to connect. Most military families miss the camaraderie that the military culture provides. This can be achieved through Celebrate Recovery and Welcome Home Open Share Groups.
The Problem:
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is a physical and psychological trauma. MST results from a physical sexual assault, sexual battery, or sexual harassment that occurred while a Veteran was serving on active duty. We define it as “repeated, unsolicited verbal or physical sexual contact which is threatening in nature.” MST includes any sexual activity involving someone against their will for implied better treatment. It also includes someone pressured or forced into sexual activity for other reasons. MST includes unwanted sexual advances, sexual touching, grabbing, threatening, making offensive remarks about a person’s body or sexual activities.
Because of past sexual treatment during your military service do you:
- Feel depressed, having intense, sudden emotional reactions to things; feeling angry or irritable all the time?
- Feel emotionally “flat”, difficulty expressing emotions like love or happiness?
- Have trouble falling or staying asleep, disturbing nightmares?
- Use drugs or alcohol to deal with the emotional reactions from the memories of the sexual trauma?
- Have trouble staying focused, often find your mind wondering, struggle to remember things?
- Often find yourself being “triggered” into fear of future sexual trauma?
- Feel isolated or disconnected from others, trouble in relationships with employers or authority figures, difficulty trusting others?
- Experience physical health problems such as, sexual difficulties, chronic pain, weight or eating issues, gastrointestinal issues?
The Solution:
Survivors of MST can experience recovery when…
- We recognize that we are powerless to heal the damaged emotions resulting from our MST. We look to God for the power to make us whole.
- We admit that God’s plan for our lives includes victory over the experience of abuse.
- We understand the people who abused us are responsible for the abusive acts committed against us. We will not accept the guilt, shame and fear resulting from MST.
- We look to God and His Word to find our identity as worthwhile and loved human beings.
- We are honestly sharing our feelings with God and at least one other person to help us identify the areas that need cleansing and healing.
- We accept the responsibility for our negative actions because of our MST.
- We are willing to accept God’s help in the decision and the process of forgiving those who have perpetrated against us.
- We are willing to mature in our relationships with God and others.
- We are willing to be used by God as an instrument of healing and restoration in the lives of others.
- Attend Large Group weekly and participate in a Welcome Home Open Share group.
- Join a Celebrate Recovery Step Study Group.
* The Solution is partially based on the book Helping the Victims of Sexual Abuse by Lynn Heitritter and Jeanette Vought.
